Monaco says no to plastic waste!

So what do these two new measures entail?

- Food consumed on-premises (in the restaurant) must be served in re-usable tableware;
- Bills and receipts will no longer be printed out systematically. However, customers may always ask for a hard copy of the receipt, regardless of how much they have spent.

These measures add to the existing raft of regulations gradually introduced by the Prince's Government, as part of its "Plan for the Prevention and Management of Waste in Monaco by 2030", which applies to plastic products that are most frequently discarded and find their way into the environment, particularly at sea, and where environmentally-friendly alternatives can be used easily.

These regulatory restrictions come in the wake of other measures introduced in 2021 and 2022 under this same anti-pollution policy:

• Employers operating a canteen are now required to provide their staff with re-usable tableware and boxes in which to take away food;
• All consumers are now entitled to be served food in their own re-usable container; 
• It is no longer legal to provide disposable cutlery free of charge with takeaway sales (these items must be paid for and only provided upon request);
• "Meal deals" may no longer be sold with drinks included, in order to avoid encouraging consumers to take a drink packaged in a single-use container (cans, plastic or glass bottles, etc.).

To help consumers in the Principality abide by these principles, the Government also launched a new app called Maconsigne in 2022, which provides geolocation information on shops selling glass containers and the recycling bins in which they can be deposited.

All of these measures mean consumers have access to environmentally responsible solutions for eating out, and are encouraged to opt for re-usable items wherever possible.