The Balearic Government is proposing a €50,000 financial sanction against HP for selling single use cartridges in the Balearic Islands, contrary to regional legislation in this area requires that they be rechargeable and reusable.
The Balearic Government is proposing a €50,000 ($50,816) financial sanction against HP for selling single use cartridges in the Balearic Islands, contravening the Governments ban on non-reusable and non-rechargeable versions of printer and photocopier cartridges and toners that took effect on the 1st of January 2021 the Diario de Mallorca reports. (Subscription required)
The regional legislation requires all printer and photocopier cartridges, and toners are rechargeable and reusable.
In 2018 the Government of the Balearic Islands decided to ban single-use plastics which also included single-use cartridges amid high levels of concern on the environment as the islands face more and more pressures from tourism and more and more people want to live in the islands where space is scarce.
Apart from a ban on single-use cartridges, the islands have banned the sale of single-use plastics, including plastic cups, plates, cutlery, straws, and bags, as well as wet wipes, disposable lighters and razors, cotton swabs made of plastic, and non-recyclable coffee capsules.
The Balearic Islands economy is based on tourism and increases the usage of disposable items causing litter and pollution. Non-compliance of these measures could lead to penalties between €300 ($326) and €1,7 million ($1.8 million).
A 2017 report from Greenpeace Spain stated that 96% of the floating litter in the Mediterranean Sea is plastic, making the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world.
