As of Jan. 1, 2025, Croatia has introduced a charge for lightweight plastic bags thinner than 15 micrometres.
These bags are usually made available at supermarkets as primary packaging for bulk foods like vegetable and fruit, or for hygiene reasons.
The charge has not been determined by law, with retailers bearing responsibility for setting the price.
Retailers are now required to label these lightweight bags with the message ‘use bags sparingly’ to promote responsible usage. The price must be clearly displayed at locations where these bags are usually made available, such as the fruit and vegetable sections of food stores.
Lightweight bags cannot be sold at checkout counters or used at points of sale where food is not sold, such as clothing, footwear, household appliance stores, pharmacies, or book stores.
The introduction of the charge follows Croatia’s ban on lightweight plastic bags between 15 and 50 micrometres, introduced in January 2022 as part of the country’s Waste Management Act.
Plastic carrier bags thicker than 50 micrometres that can be reused multiple times are still allowed to be placed on the market.