On Sunday, February 13, the Single-Use Plastic Regulation entered into force, which determines that as of this moment, food establishments will not be able to deliver items such as cutlery, stirrers or plastic light bulbs, in addition to any element made of polyurethane foam. Likewise, supermarkets throughout the country will also have the obligation to market and only receive the beverages contained in returnable bottles (a term that, in the case of convenience stores and warehouses, will be extended until August 2023).

However, as of 2024, food sales establishments - restaurants, casinos, cafeterias, bars, among others - must only use reusable products for consumption inside their establishments; and in the delivery mode case (home delivery), must supply compostable plastic food containers which must be certified by their manufacturer or importer.

Implementing this new initiative complements the Extended Producer Responsibility Law (EPR Law), whose goals for the collection and recovery of containers and packaging will start in September 2023. Thanks to this, Chile intends to increase the reduction of plastic generation in the country in a high percentage, given that, according to the study presented in 2018 by the foundations Oceana and Plastic Oceans Chile, our country annually generates 23,240 tons of single-use plastics, where a great part of this ends up polluting the oceans.

In regard to this objective, at Hidronor we contribute to the sustainability of our country by being a facilitator in the value chain of Chile's circular economy.

Let's build a more sustainable country together!

Source: Diario Financiero