Mexico City bans disposable plastics

Mexico City's legislature voted Thursday to ban businesses from buying, selling or giving their customers disposable plastics, a major shift for a sprawling capital that is awash in them.

Photo shows disposable plastic itemsat a local market in Mexico City. Mexico City lawmakers have passed a ban on such items, including non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules. The ban is set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021. [Photo: China Plus]

The ban, set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021, includes such articles as non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules, the legislature said in a statement, calling them a "serious environmental problem."

Photo shows disposable plastic itemsat a local market in Mexico City. Mexico City lawmakers have passed a ban on such items, including non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules. The ban is set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021. [Photo: China Plus]

It puts the city of nine million people at the forefront of global efforts to protect the environment and curb the amount of plastic that ends up in the Earth's oceans -- eight million tonnes a year.

Photo shows disposable plastic itemsat a local market in Mexico City. Mexico City lawmakers have passed a ban on such items, including non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules. The ban is set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021. [Photo: China Plus]

Legislators said they would now open debate on a spending package to help companies shift their production and use of plastics toward biodegradable materials.

Photo shows disposable plastic itemsat a local market in Mexico City. Mexico City lawmakers have passed a ban on such items, including non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules. The ban is set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021. [Photo: China Plus]