The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources conveyed his satisfaction with the consensus reached on the promotion of awareness raising actions, the implementation of an environmental tax and the restrictions on advertising in lightweight plastic bags. These measures are intended to reduce the use of plastic bags and, consequently, their harmful effects on the environment.

"We all agree that the plastic bags are used excessively," Luís Neto Viveiros stated, reminding that in Europe each residents uses an average of 188 bags per year.

Denmark registers an average use of four plastic bags per person annually while Portugal registers an average of 400 bags per person annually.

According to the Regional Secretary, if we transpose this average to the Azores and calculate it in accordance with the number of inhabitants, we would reach something like 50 million bags per year, which clearly demonstrates "the attention we must pay to this problem."

In this context, Luís Neto Viveiros praised the legislative initiative submitted by PCP, following a petition from citizens. According to him, it is important to make the proposal "less limiting," through the implementation of consensual amendment proposals, including the extension of the environmental tax to biodegradable bags and the imposing of restrictions on advertising in accordance with thickness of plastic bags.

The bags used for packaging food will be exempt from this tax and their value must be indicated in the receipt.

The rules of the legislative document under debate at the Legislative Assembly of the Azores will be implemented in large supermarkets one year after the entry into force of the regulations on the enforcement of the environmental tax and after two years in the remaining commercial establishments.

The law also determines the annual organisation of an awareness raising campaign by the Entity for the Regulation of Water and Waste Services in the Azores (ERSARA).

According to data released by the European Commission, every year over eight billion plastic bags end up in a dump, which causes serious problems in terms of waste management due its slow degradation.

The environmental consequences are worsening in coastal and island regions such as the Azores since plastic bags are considered to be largely responsible for the sustainability of marine life.