Plastic carrier bags that are between 15 and 50 microns thick will no longer be in use in Croatia as of 1 January 2022, and other types of plastic bags will be phased out in the coming period, Minister for Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric said during a visit to the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka on Tuesday.

Responding to questions from the press, Coric said that the application of the section of the Waste Management Act concerning the use of plastic bags had been delayed to give producers and distributors time to adjust.

“Bags that are between 15 and 50 microns thick are going out of circulation in compliance with a 2015 directive which aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags,” Coric said.

He stressed that the focus was on promoting multi-use linen and paper bags. “Other types of plastic bags will also be slowly phased out in the time ahead. This is the first step.”