In August 2019, a Balearics law on waste in the hospitality industry banned single-use plastic packaging and single-use with paper packaging. The law wasn't implemented because of the pandemic, which mandated single-use formats to prevent the spread of the virus. Once health restrictions ended, the regulation still wasn't applied.
The situation is now made more complicated by the entry into force of a European directive that will apply to the whole of Spain from August 12 this year. This directive bans single-use plastic packaging but not paper. One use of paper in bars and restaurants in Mallorca and the Balearics is for sugar.
Tomeu Mas, the manager of the CAEB Restaurants Association in Mallorca, says: "We don’t know what we have to do. The ban on single-serving plastic packages comes into effect on August 12, but in the Balearics, even paper ones are already prohibited. We don’t know which regulations we have to comply with."
The association's legal department is recommending that establishments follow the regional law from 2019. But as there is confusion and a lack of clarity, a meeting with the regional ministry for business has been requested.
Mas is concerned about the limited time there is to adapt and about the potential problems in guaranteeing hygiene and sanitary conditions when having to adopt reusable formats. "Sugar packets will have to be replaced with sugar dispensers. These require refilling and handling by different people. The same applies to sauces and other products that are subject to varying degrees of handling."
The change also implies an increase in costs for purchasing materials, which, given the multi-handling factor, would be more susceptible to breakage and loss.
"The Balearics law is more restrictive. It specifies that the use of disposable utensils, regardless of the material they are made of, for the consumption of food and beverages are not permitted." The exceptions are disposable cellulose napkins and tablecloths.