Bulgaria taxes plastic shopping bags, aims to stimulate bioplastic alternative

In Bulgaria, the Parliament approved a law establishing the equivalent of a $0.10 tax on the use of plastic shopping bags as of October 1, 2012, and will increase to $0.23 in 2012, to $0.30 in 2013, and again to $0.37 by 2014.

Cereplast notes on their website that this tax for all intents and purposes bans such plastic bags.  Cereplast further noted that they anticipate increased demands for their bioplastic resin as they have seen in Italy, following their ban on plastic shopping bags.