France's New Anti-Waste Laws

The French government has passed far-reaching laws to try and cut down on waste and boost recycling levels. The laws have now been officially added to the statue books but will be introduced in phases. Here's what is happening and when.
The Loi relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l'économie circulaire (law on the anti-waste and to a circular economy) officially came into force on February 11th, but its changes are introduced gradually to give businesses time to prepare.

The first tranche of rules doesn't come in until January 1st, 2021, but over this year you will likely see some businesses bringing in the changes.

Here's what the new law will outlaw and from when.

January 1st, 2021 

Throwing away non-hazardous waste that can be recycled (eg plastics, cardboard, green waste) will be gradually prohibited
Aggressive advertising will be prohibited outside of sales in an attempt to cut consumption
New single-use plastic products will be banned. This includes straws, stirrers, lids for takeaway cups, expanded polystyrene boxes (such as kebab boxes), steak sticks, balloon rods, plastic confetti and all objects made of oxodegradable plastic
Distributing free plastic bottles in companies will be prohibited
Drinks served in a reusable cup presented by the customer must be sold at a cheaper price
Large businesses of more than 400 m2 will have to provide reusable containers (free or paying)
Bulk retailers will have to accept containers brought in by consumers
Distributing promotional gifts in mailboxes will be prohibited
A network of drinking water fountains will be created in an attempt to cut the use of plastic bottles

July 1st, 2021 

Bringing your own reusable containers will be possible in restaurants and takeaways

January 1st, 2022

Plastic tea bags, plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg and plastic toys distributed free of charge in fast-food restaurants will be banned
Establishments that are open to the public will have to provide a water fountain
Plastic-wrapped newspapers or magazines will be prohibited
Labels on fruit and vegetables will be prohibited

January 1st, 2023

Disposable dishes in fast-food restaurants will be forbidden for meals served on site.
Printing and distributing receipts and credit card slips, unless specifically requested by the customer, will be prohibited

There will also be measures introduce to improve information for consumers about the environmental impact of their purchases. These include;

Improving information on the qualities and environmental characteristics of products that generate waste;
Providing information on the 'reparability' of certain electrical and electronic equipment (such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners or lawnmowers);
Providing information on the availability or unavailability of spare parts needed to repair electrical and electronic equipment and furniture
Destroying (either by incineration or sending to landfill) unsold new non-food items (clothing, shoes, cosmetics) will be prohibited in order to encourage their reuse or recycling
Instructions for reuse and re-use (especially of plastic bottles) will be put in place

Although it's not included in the legislation, environmental activists have been campaigning hard to have promotions such as 'Black Friday' banned in France, arguing that it encourages needless consumerism and contributes to environmental damage.