Malta’s environmental regulator will be holding a public meeting on November 12 to discuss plans to phase out single-use plastic items and lightweight plastic carrier bags.

The meeting will be held online at 3pm and anyone interested in attending must register with the Environment and Resources Authority through its website.

ERA is holding the public meeting as part of its consultation process into planned legislative changes to outlaw single-use plastics.

The European Union voted last year to introduce bans on such items, following growing concerns about the destructive pollution they are causing. A report released this week found that more than 200,000 tons of plastic are leaking into the Mediterranean sea every year.

In Malta, importation of single-use plastic items and lightweight plastic bags will be banned as of January 1, 2021, while their selling and distribution will be prohibited from January 1 of the following year.

ERA is accepting submissions about the scheduled bans on plastics until November 26. Details and documents related to the single-use plastic ban and ban on lightweight carrier bags can be found online. Comments can be sent to era.policy@era.org.mt.