A Ban on Plastic Bags and Single-Use Plastic Tableware Will Be Imposed: Details

A ban on the use of polyethylene bags, sacks, and single-use plastic tableware will be introduced. This information was provided by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia.

The widespread use of single-use polyethylene bags and tableware, as well as household items, has led to environmental issues. The polyethylene packages and single-use plastic tableware released into the environment persist for extended periods and are not subject to biological decomposition, resulting in persistent pollution.

The amendments to the Law on Trade and Services, which came into force on January 1, 2022, indicated that, within a year, due to an insufficient level of environmental culture among the public, ineffective enforcement of the requirements for the provision of polyethylene bags and sacks defined by the Law on Trade and Services in most communities of the Republic of Armenia, a significant reduction in the production volumes of polyethylene packaging was not realized. The existing partial ban did not yield the desired results, and forecasts were not fully realized.

It should also be noted that the available statistical data do not fully reflect the quantitative changes in the target group of single-use plastic products, as the total packaging used in the country, including that used in the production packaging phase, is included.

However, the regulation brought certain progress in changing consumer behavior, increasing the production and use of bags and sacks made from recycled materials, as well as reusable ones. There are also trends for intensifying research efforts in importing raw materials for biodegradable packaging and making more affordable raw materials available.

With the proposed amendments to the Law on Trade and Services, the Ministry of Environment suggests expanding the ban specified in part 2.1 of Article 9 of the Law on Trade and Services to include polyethylene bags and sacks thicker than 50 microns during retail trade (excluding bags used for weighing purposes and those made from recycled materials), as well as single-use tableware made from plastic or foam (all sizes of plates and cups, spoons, forks, knives), and single-use containers intended for weighing purposes (boxes, containers with or without lids, plates) (excluding those intended for packaging factory-produced goods).