Plastic bags are banned.
BUS-teh — stress the first syllable; 'busta' is the standard Italian word for an envelope or bag.
Use this to explain Italy's plastic bag regulations to someone unfamiliar with them. Italy has been a pioneer in banning or taxing plastic bags since 2011, and the rules have expanded significantly since.
Italy banned non-biodegradable single-use plastic bags for food products in 2011 and extended the ban to lightweight plastic bags at checkout in 2018. Shoppers must now pay for bags, and all checkout bags must be compostable. Reusable bags (borse riutilizzabili) or personal shopping bags (borse della spesa) are strongly encouraged.
Porto sempre la borsa della spesa da casa.
I always bring my shopping bag from home.
Best practice; the shopper bag culture is strong in Italy.
Al supermercato si paga per le buste.
At the supermarket you pay for bags.
Practical fact; prices range from €0.03 to €0.15 per bag.
Le buste compostabili costano di più ma sono obbligatorie.
Compostable bags cost more but are mandatory.
Explains why bags cost more now than they used to.
Italy introduced one of Europe's first plastic bag taxes in 2010 for non-biodegradable bags. The country fought a long legal battle with the European Commission over its early restrictions. Today Italy is cited internationally as a model for using economic and legal tools to shift consumer behaviour on single-use plastics.