The rules that will govern the prohibition of the Stereophone in Costa Rica are issued

By zone_admin | 20 de May de 2022 | Blog

This week the Regulations to the Law that prohibits expanded polystyrene (stereophone) were published, which lists the exceptions through which products containing said material may be marketed, as follows:
  1. Expanded polystyrene products expressly excluded from the ban:
  • Packaging for household appliances and the like.
  • industrial uses. The regulation does not specify what should be understood as such.
  • Uses in personal protective equipment (Ex: Helmets)
  • Floating equipment for aquatic rescue.
  •  Uses as thermal or acoustic insulation.
  • Secondary packaging that does not have direct contact with the substance or packaging for vaccines and medicines.
  •  Packaging or packaging for products that meet particular medical needs for food, infant formula, and dietary supplements, that do not have direct contact with food.
  • Products used as finishes in construction projects, in which the material is immobilized during the useful life of the building and is required for its functionality.
  • Products whose importer or producer is responsible for their correct final disposal.
In addition to the products indicated in the previous title, any expanded polystyrene packaging that does not have direct contact with its content will be marketed, provided that its importer or producer has a collection system that allows its use of energy, recycling or destruction through a waste manager authorized by the Ministry of Health. For this, the provisions of the Regulation for the Declaration of Special Management Waste must be followed , regarding the compliance units made up of the companies that must ensure the correct management of the waste generated by their products.  
  • When there are no viable alternative materials from the environmental point of view.
Another exception to the prohibition applies to those products that for reasons of conservation or protection of the content, the use of alternative materials is not environmentally viable. To opt for this exception, an application must be submitted to the Directorate of Radiological Protection and Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health, indicating the type of product in question, the packaging materials and detailing the risk that would be generated in the event that it is not will use expanded polystyrene, for the environment, the user or third parties. The Ministry of Health will have a period of 10 business days to approve exception requests and these will be valid for 2 years. Finally, it must be taken into account that this regulation develops what is established in the Law for the prohibition of expanded polystyrene , which will come into force in August 2021.