Two years ago, when it became certain that Hungary would have to join the EU ban on certain disposable plastics this year, the volume of the affected products was still below 10,000 tons per year.

This rose to 15,000 tons last year, due to a significant increase in demand for takeaway food containers, beverage glasses and carrier bags because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Although the regulation is still creating some uncertainty in the industry, statistics indicate that the transition began last year, said Csaosz general secretary Miklós Nagy.

The value of domestic plastic packaging consumption, which had previously increased by about 15% a year, declined by 7% in 2020 from Ft 288 billion to Ft 268 billion.

In February, the government announced a ban on the marketing of disposable plastics from July 1 this year. The ban is aimed at increasing the use of environmentally friendly, reusable products in Hungary.

The government provided Ft 10 billion last year in support for the technology change of companies manufacturing disposable plastic products.