On January 1st, Iceland put into effect new European regulations which ban shops from providing plastic bags to shoppers at checkout, RÚV reports.
This regulation also applies to the sale of reusable bags and the rolls of thin plastic bags that can be found in most produce sections in Icelandic supermarkets. One can still by rolls of plastic bags off the shelves of these shops, however.
The majority of Icelanders have favoured banning single-use plastic bags for years now, and the country has taken other steps to reduce the use of disposable plastic.
This is largely due to the high levels of plastic pollution that have been found in Icelandic waters in recent years. We would add that visitors to Iceland could help out by not buying bottled water, which is literally the same water that comes from the tap but contributes to the plastic waste we contend with.
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