Capri tourists to be fined €500 for using plastic products

The move aims to reduce pollution and protect the island’s flora and fauna. “We have a very big problem and we have to contribute (to finding a solution),” mayor Gianni De Martinotold reporters.

Capri is ready to fine its tourists for polluting the flora and fauna

Single-use plastic is no longer welcome on the Italian island of Capri, many will be pleased to hear.

Tourists will from this month face steep fines of up to €500 (£430) should they be caught using non-biodegradable plastic bags, single-use plastic plates, cups, straws and cutlery.

Capri's mayor Giovanni De Martino told the Times “It’s a big change, but if we are saving the environment I don’t think anyone will complain.”

It follows the same legislation introduced in the Tremiti islands, an archipelago off Italy's east coast, last year.

Its mayor, Antonio Fentini, said at the time: "I'm calling on the mayors of all islands and coastal areas to follow suit."

“Day after day we’re seeing humans kill our sea and we had to do something, immediately,” he said.

The rules apply to the whole island, with a particular focus on its beaches and coastline

Shopkeepers, who will no longer be able to sell anything made from single-use plastic, have been given 90 days to get rid of their existing stock.

In 2017, Legambiente, an Italian environmentalist association, conducted an investigation which found the sea and coast between Capri and mainland Italy contained the largest amount of plastic residue in the region of Campania.

Nearby destinations will follow Capri’s lead, with plans to pass laws banning single-use plastics on the island of Procida and in the city of Naples.

“We are seeking to imitate each other to have a much bigger impact,” said De Martino.

Capri, which is home to 12,000 people, introduced a tourist tax several years ago, the proceeds of which are partly used to help care for the environment.

Although the island is taking the lead on environmental policies – the rest of the European Union isn’t prohibiting single-use plastics until 2021 – it isn’t the first one to do so.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

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