Backing for MP's bid to scrap paper receipts in France

Receipts for smaller purchases are set to become optional under an amendment to an anti-waste bill currently making its way through parliament.

Under the terms of the amendment, which has government backing, anyone making a purchase of less than €30 will have to request a receipt otherwise one will not be issued, from January 2022.

If the measure, is adopted, the initiative will be rolled out gradually from Septermber 2020, starting with purchases totalling €10 or less. It will be extended to purchases of €20 or less from January 1, 2021.

It is "a small gesture for a great cause," Hérault LREM deputy Patricia Mirallès, who proposed the amendment, told AFP.

Another amendment also proposes a ban on thermal paper - the lightweight paper used in many tills, which is coated in the chemical bisphenol A. - in France from 2024.