In almost every field report on rivers and waste in Kosovo, among the first things that catch the eye are plastic bags. Carried by water, stuck in the branches of trees along rivers after floods, or scattered along their banks, plastic bags have become so common that they seem like a normal part of the environment.

Single-use plastic bags have become one of the most visible symbols of environmental pollution in Kosovo. Although they are used for only a few minutes, they remain in nature for hundreds of years. For this reason, many countries have begun imposing taxes and fees, or banning plastic bags altogether, to reduce their use.

Kosovo joined this trend in 2023, when it imposed a five-cent minimum fee on plastic bags in stores in August of that year. The policy to reduce plastic bag use in Kosovo did not come into effect immediately. It was preceded by an analysis by the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MESPI) that found the use of plastic bags in the country was very high.

According to this analysis, each citizen in Kosovo used an average of about 335 plastic bags each year. This level was considered among the highest in the region and was significantly above the European Union (EU) targets for reducing single-use plastics. Under the government’s new policy, the goal was to reduce this number to 180 bags per year by 2024 and to only 40 bags per person by 2030.

Based on this data, the Government of Kosovo adopted the Administrative Instruction on Packaging and Packaging Waste, which set a minimum price of 5 cents for lightweight plastic bags used in shops and markets, which had previously been offered free of charge. In essence, this was a policy aimed at changing behavior: by setting a price on plastic bags, the aim was to encourage consumers to think twice before taking them and, over time, for them to switch to reusable bags. Of the five cents a bag costs, two cents are designated as an environmental tax, collected along with other taxes from activities that cause environmental damage. Although the state collects hundreds of millions of euros in environmental taxes, only a small portion is directly invested in environmental protection, raising doubts that a tax of this kind is effective in supporting the protection of the environment.

According to government guidelines, plastic bags should be 25–50 microns thick, while very light bags between 0–25 microns are banned altogether. Bags below 50 microns are considered more harmful to the environment due to their limited use and their high potential to end up being littered.

The life cycle of a plastic bag begins long before it reaches the consumer. It is mainly produced from petroleum or gas derivatives through an industrial process that yields polyethylene, the most widely used plastic for plastic bags due to its low cost, light weight and high resistance. From the factory, the bag travels through the supply chain to shops and supermarkets, where it is usually used for only a few minutes to carry purchased products home.

It is precisely this that makes plastic bags problematic: their production requires fossil fuels and energy, while their use is very short-lived. In the best case, plastic bags end up in the trash after their use. In the worst case, they are thrown away on streets, fields, rivers or in other open spaces, where they may remain for decades or even longer.

Plastic does not decompose like natural materials. Over time, it fragments into ever smaller particles, known as microplastics, which spread through soil and water. These particles can be ingested by animals and enter the food chain, prolonging the impact of a product that was initially used for only a few minutes.

A plastic bag can remain in the environment for 20 to 500 years. That’s why policies to limit plastic bags focus not only on visible litter, but on their entire lifecycle: from fossil-fuel-based production, to short-term use, to the long-term pollution they leave behind.

Plastic bags are among the most common littered items found in nature. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), millions of tonnes of plastic enter rivers and oceans each year, harming ecosystems and wildlife. In addition, plastic bags often clog waterways and end up in agricultural fields.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has warned that microplastic particles have already been found in drinking water, air and many food products. Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), evidence that people consume and inhale micro- and nanoplastic particles is increasing, as studies have identified microplastic particles in human organs and tissues.

These particles are created both by the breakdown of plastics in the environment, including bags, packaging, bottles, synthetic textiles, vehicle tires and other plastic waste, as well as by particles released during the use of various materials, such as textiles, tires, paints and some industrial products.

This makes reducing plastic a priority for many governments worldwide. But how well has this policy worked in Kosovo?

Partial implementation, but positive signals

About two years after the government’s directive, the tariff seems to have influenced citizens’ behavior.

In a report published in February this year by MESPI, which also included a 2024 survey of 341 citizens from different municipalities, the majority of respondents supported the policy and said they had started using fewer plastic bags.

Around 63% of respondents said the policy has prompted them to reduce their use of plastic bags, and around 77% said they are actively trying to use fewer plastic bags, with many already taking reusable bags with them when they shop. Only 9.7% of respondents, however, said that they buy the bags voluntarily. Moreover, 56.7% linked this behavior to environmental factors, suggesting that the fee has served as an economic incentive, accompanied by gradually increasing awareness.

Although the survey shows that citizens are largely open to a plastic bag fee, many consider the current fee ineffective in changing behavior. While 33% of respondents said the current fee is fair, 40.1% believe the five-cent fee is too low to be effective. Among those who consider the fee too low, 37% propose 10 cents, 19% 20 cents and 35% a fee above 25 cents.

Meanwhile, according to one of the interviewees in the report, “The five-cent fee makes customers think twice, but many do not know why it matters.”

Based on usage levels before the policy came into force, a citizen who used 335 bags per year would pay 16.75 euros annually under the current fee. If the target of reducing this number to 180 bags per year by 2024 is met, the annual expenditure would be almost halved, to 9 euros.

Five cents towards changing behavior?

Citizens are using fewer plastic bags, at least according to what the ministry is able to measure.

Uran Haxha