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Mexico City Bill Targets Single-Use Plastics in E-Commerce Packaging

The measure moves into committee review as sponsors press for compostable or recyclable mailers only.

Overview

  • The PVEM-backed bill, which was introduced Monday, was sent to the Congress board for analysis and a draft opinion.
  • It would amend the city’s Solid Waste Law to define e-commerce packaging and courier services, require companies to use the least material needed, and ban single-use plastics in online shipments in favor of compostable or recyclable options.
  • Sponsors say online orders in Mexico City generate more than 236 tonnes of plastic a day, equal to about 29 garbage trucks, or roughly 86,000 tonnes a year.
  • They warn much of this is low-density plastic that is hard to recycle and often ends up in informal dumps, ravines, rivers, and the ocean.
  • Estrada notes the city spent over 1.7 billion pesos in 2021 to manage plastic waste, a cost she argues producers, e-commerce platforms, and couriers could cut by switching materials if the bill advances.