Greece
What Law 4736/2020 changed for single-use plastics in Greece
Single-use plastics EPR in Greece sits half in force and half pending. Law 4736/2020 transposed the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, and its bans, marking rules and reduction targets have applied since 2021.
The producer-responsibility part is younger and slower. Tobacco-filter EPR applied in law from 5 January 2023, but the polluter-pays scheme behind it was still being set up in late 2025.
Who single-use plastics EPR covers in Greece
You fall under the rules if you are any of these:
- A producer or importer placing in-scope single-use plastic products on the Greek market
- A seller of tobacco products with plastic filters
- A distance seller shipping such products to Greek buyers
What binds a seller today in Greece
The product rules bite now, well before the producer scheme is live. The EMPA register mandate already covers single-use plastics, so a producer registers there, but the operational tobacco-filter scheme is not yet something to join.
Costs are still shaped by the EU directive rather than a Greek tariff. Producers of in-scope items will fund litter clean-up, collection and awareness once the scheme runs.
A foreign producer acts through an authorised representative in Greece under Law 4819/2021 article 9.
One trap is overlap. The same plastic cup can owe both a packaging contribution and single-use plastic duties, and Greece's consumer plastic fee is a separate charge, not this EPR.
What is still coming in Greece
The pending pieces are the operational side. An EOAN-run tobacco-filter clean-up scheme is still being established, and a beverage deposit-return system adopted in early 2025 is being stood up for plastic bottles.
The EU directive also sets bottle collection targets, at 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029, which the deposit system is meant to help hit. For the wider picture see EPR in Greece.
Frequently asked questions about single-use plastics EPR in Greece
The questions plastic sellers ask first.
Who has to register for single-use plastics EPR in Greece?
Producers, importers and distance sellers placing in-scope single-use plastic products on the Greek market. The EMPA register mandate covers the stream, but the operational tobacco-filter scheme was still being set up in late 2025, so producer responsibility is only partly live.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in Greece?
Yes. A producer or distance seller with no Greek establishment acts through an authorised representative established in Greece under Law 4819/2021 article 9. The product bans and marking rules apply to their goods regardless of where they are based.
What happens if I sell without registering?
The bans and marking rules under Law 4736/2020 are enforced directly and have applied since 2021, so breaching them is penalised now. Framework penalties under Law 4819/2021 back the producer-responsibility duties as they come into force.
What changes next for single-use plastics EPR in Greece?
The operational tobacco-filter clean-up scheme is still being established, and the beverage deposit-return system adopted in early 2025 is being stood up. EU bottle collection targets of 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029 sit behind that push.
