New Royal Decree in Belgium for single-use plastics

23 September 2024

As a result of the European legislation on single-use plastics (SUPs), the member states themselves have the freedom to implement the measures required to achieve the European objective. On July 5, 2024, Belgium therefore published the Royal Decree of May 25, 2024 on Single-use plastics. This RD aims to limit the marketing of certain single-use products and increase the recycled content of certain products.

Phases of implementation and measures

To make it feasible for operators to comply with the new rules, implementation will be phased. The phases below are envisaged:

Already in effect

10 days after publication of the decree, serving beverages for immediate consumption in disposable cups made entirely of plastic will be prohibited.

By January 2025

6 months after publication, plastic wrappers for unaddressed printed advertising more than 15 cm wide will be banned.

As of January 2026

Beverage and food for immediate consumption or for take-a-way in disposable cardboard cups or containers consisting of at least 10% plastic (measured by weight) will be banned.

By January 2028

Beverage and food for immediate consumption or for take-a-way in disposable cups or containers consisting of at least 8% plastic (measured by weight) will be prohibited.
Plastic wrappers for unaddressed advertising materials of any size will be banned.

By January 2030

Beverage and food for immediate consumption in disposable cups and containers consisting of at least 3% plastic (measured by weight) will be banned.
Beverage and food for take-a-way in disposable cups and containers consisting of at least 6% plastic (measured by weight) will be prohibited.

Where can the information be checked?

Appendix 1

Describes the plastic products for which there is a minimum recycled content requirement to be allowed on the market. This takes into account that there are enough alternatives of products that have the requested recycled content.

Appendix 2

Describes plastic products that are prohibited because there is a high probability that they will end up in litter or not in the proper recycling channel, due to size or the way they are commonly used.

Plastic sticks and skewers between 1 and 30 cm, intended for holding a food product, excluding medical applications.
Cutlery and plates that do not contain plastic, except those that can be composted at home.
Unaddressed plasticized advertising material.

The RD states that percentages may be waived if it is confirmed that they are not possible for reasons of food safety or availability of packaging on the market. If for this reason the date is postponed, a new evaluation by independent experts will follow biennially for the category in question.

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