Drinks in Plastic Bottles with Removable Caps Allowed for Sale in Cyprus until October 31

A law requiring plastic bottles to have attached caps was supposed to take effect today in Cyprus. However, after considering feedback from retailers, products in older bottles are now permitted to be sold until October 31.

This decision was announced by the Department of Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus, following several requests from distributors, supermarkets, and shops.

Applicants requested permission to continue selling beverages that were placed on the market before July 3, 2024, which do not comply with the new waste law provisions regarding cap attachment. After reviewing these requests, the availability period for these products has been extended until October 31, 2024.

The department's statement emphasized that this decision took into account both the environmental impact of disposing of these products as waste and the economic implications for the market and consumers.

It is clarified that this extension applies only to plastic containers with a capacity of up to three liters that were produced before July 3, 2024, for the purpose of depleting existing stocks, and does not affect stocks held by manufacturers and importers.

As a reminder, according to the new law, from July 3, 2024, plastic containers containing beverages up to three liters can only be sold with attached caps.

Effectively, any containers not complying with the legislation were supposed to be removed from the market by today. Metal caps or caps with plastic seals are not considered to be made of plastic.

The law applies to containers for beverages containing liquid products intended for drinking, such as milk, water, wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, juices, nectars, and other liquids, with a capacity of up to three liters.

Glass or metal beverage containers with plastic caps are exempt from this rule, as are containers for beverages intended and used for liquid food products for specific medical purposes.