Like France, Italy has passed a law providing for non-biodegradable plastic bags to be banned from 2010. Europen reports that a draft Decree to implement this measure is expected to be notified to the European Commission before the summer.

The 2007 Finance Act also includes provision for a tax on plastic carrier bags and a EUR 0.01 tax on plastic bottles for mineral or table water. The revenue from this tax will be used to finance projects aimed at providing universal access to water.