After more than a year of preparation, the use of disposable plastic containers, forks, straws and other plastic items will be banned in the Mexican capital starting Friday.
On Friday, the Environment Minister of Mexico City – one of the largest cities in the world – posted the message on Twitter: “As of today, Mexico City will be without single-use plastic.” The tweet encourages people to always bring reusable containers and thermos, “just as we never forget to bring a cell phone.”
In 2019, local lawmakers passed a law banning the use of disposable plastic bags, kitchen utensils and other items. The city of 9 million people has spent the past year adapting or, in some cases, ignoring the impending legislative change. The ban on plastic bags came into effect last year.
The so-called biodegradable thin bags are more common at street food stalls in the city. Plastic straws are offered less often. The freshly made tortillas come packed in paper or cloth napkins that buyers bring themselves.
But without the imposition of fines, change will likely take time.
On Friday morning, a woman who sold tamales under a large umbrella on the corner of a busy Mexico City avenue put two of them in a plastic bag and offered two small colored plastic spoons that she took from a cupful. . When asked if he was aware of the entry into force of the ban, he said yes, but added that the authorities have forgotten that with the coronavirus.
The city is currently on the red as the hospital’s COVID-19 beds are nearly full.
The woman, who wouldn’t give her name for not wanting to be reprimanded for not living up to the norm, said she wasn’t alone. He said sellers and locals in city markets still use single-use plastic.
The ban also includes disposable cups, plastic stirrers, single-use coffee pads and balloons.
According to the capital’s environmental agency, Mexico City produced about 13,000 tons of waste per day in 2019.