Abuse of plastic: the good measures of Carrefour and Lidl

Carrefour Belgium will stop marketing straws, forks, knives and plastic plates for single use during the first quarter of 2019, Belga spokeswoman Baptiste Van Outryve told reporters on Wednesday. large distribution.

Lidl will follow with a stop of the sale of plastic disposable products like straws, goblets, plates and cotton swabs (with plastic rod) from the end of 2019. Belgian supermarkets start to anticipate the future European ban on the sale of these products. In late May, the European Commission proposed to ban cotton swabs, cutlery, plates, straws, badtail mixers and plastic ball stems, and to insist that these items be made of more durable materials. The measure will have to be discussed by the Member States and the European Parliament. In June, the Principality of Monaco became the first state of the continent to ban, from 2020, these different products.

In Belgium, Carrefour should be the first brand to anticipate the measure, with a stop of the commercialization as soon as possible. the first quarter of 2019. The brand announces plans for sustainable alternatives. Lidl Belgium will follow at the end of 2019. The hard discounter will also replace disposable plastic products with alternative products and recyclable material. Lidl is currently examining all possibilities at its suppliers. In a second phase, Lidl also wants to remove the cutlery and straws found in takeaways or drinks.

At Delhaize, these deletions are not at this stage on the agenda, says a spokeswoman . On the other hand, the lion brand will remove from September its plastic bags in the vegetable department. They will be replaced by reusable cotton bags, priced at € 0.50, or free paper bags.