The Ministry of the Environment reminds that from July 3 of this year In Lithuania, as in the entire European Union, it will be prohibited to put on the market plastic bottles of 3 liters and smaller and combined beverage containers with loose stoppers and lids made of plastic. In reducing environmental pollution, this prohibition is provided for in the European Union's Single-Use Plastic Reduction Directive adopted in 2019 and transferred to the Waste Management Law.
Before the adoption of this directive, a study commissioned by the European Commission showed that corks and lids are among the ten most common types of litter found on the beaches, seashores and seas of EU countries, as they often fall off and get lost after being unscrewed, and in addition, the aforementioned beverage packages can be added to the containers without caps or stoppers, so people don't rush to collect them.
The Law on Waste Management states that from the mentioned date, it will be prohibited to put on the market beverage containers with a capacity of three liters and less with caps and lids made of plastic, if they do not remain attached to the container during the entire intended use of the products. Most beverage packaging that will be subject to this ban is already manufactured with caps and stoppers attached.
The sale period for the remaining packages with old-style stoppers and lids on the Lithuanian market is not limited. If the beverage container with an unattached cap will be presented to the Lithuanian market by 2024. July 2 inclusive, it will be possible to distribute, fill, sell, share indefinitely. This date will have to be indicated on the manufacturer's or supplier's invoice, the physical handover may also take place later.
The specified prohibition does not apply to glass and metal beverage containers with plastic stoppers and lids, as well as beverage containers with metal stoppers and lids with a plastic sealing layer, as they are not considered to be made of plastic. The exception also applies to beverage containers intended and used for liquid food products for special medical purposes.
More detailed information is available here, in the section Disposable plastic products, labelling.
Some residents find it inconvenient to drink directly from the package or pour it with the cap or stopper attached, so they tear or cut them off. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the lids or corks are not lost, that they are properly sorted together with the beverage containers - either added to the containers, or thrown into plastic containers.
Plastic pollution causes great damage to nature, especially the marine ecosystem: millions of seabirds die every year, and hundreds of thousands of fish and other marine animals die as a result of swallowing plastic caps or lids. They disturb the digestion of animals, and besides, they are made of hard plastic, which does not decompose for a particularly long time, and dangerous chemicals are released from it, which harm the organisms that swallow them.
Plastic, under the influence of environmental conditions, breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, called microplastics. These particles also enter the human body with food, most of them from fish and its products caught in the oceans, as well as through sea salt, a study conducted several years ago revealed. However, microplastics are also found in other everyday products – sugar, honey, beer, even drinking water.
The Law on Environmental Protection states that the presentation of beverage containers with a capacity of three liters and less with plastic stoppers and lids that do not meet the established requirements on the Lithuanian market incurs a fine from 1,7 to 4 thousand. euros. Violation, committed repeatedly, incurs a fine from 3 to 6 thousand. euros. The Code of Administrative Misdemeanors states that placing on the Lithuanian market beverage containers with a capacity of three liters and less that do not meet the established requirements with caps and lids made of plastic incurs a fine from 1,4 to 3 thousand to the managers of legal entities or other responsible persons. euros.
Environmental protection state control officers - state environmental protection inspectors of the Department of Environmental Protection will check whether the specified requirements are met and the identified violations will be investigated.
