MEXICO CITY (AP) – A wide ban on disposable containers, forks, straws and other ubiquitous items comes into force in the capital of Mexico, one of the largest cities in the world, after more than a year of preparation.
On Friday, the Mexico City environmental secretary said via Twitter that “as of today in Mexico City, no single-use plastics”. The message encouraged people to think about always carrying reusable containers, like never leaving home without their cell phones.
Mexico City lawmakers approved a ban on plastic bags, utensils and other disposable plastic items in 2019. The city of 9 million people spent the past year adjusting or, in some cases, ignoring the impending change in the law. The ban on plastic bags came into force last year.
Light bags, supposedly biodegradable, have become more common in the city’s street food stalls. Plastic straws are offered less often. Fresh tortillas are delivered wrapped in paper or fabric that buyers bring with them.
But without the imposition of fines, the change is likely to take time.
On Friday morning, a woman selling tamales under a large umbrella on the corner of a busy Mexico City avenue placed two in a plastic bag and offered two small colored plastic spoons from a glass filled with them. Asked if she was aware of the ban taking effect, she said yes, “but with the coronavirus, they (the authorities) forgot about it.”
Mexico City is currently on red alert as its hospitals’ COVID-19 beds are almost full.
The woman, who refused to give her name because she did not want to be seconded to the execution, said it was not just her. She said vendors and market stalls still use plastic all over the city.
She asked how she should give customers steaming hot tamales without a plastic bag.
The ban also covers disposable plastic cups, plastic stirrers, disposable coffee capsules and balloons, among other items.
In 2019, Mexico City produced about 13,000 tons of garbage a day, according to the capital’s environmental agency.