Proposal to Ban the Presence or Sale of Single-Use Plastic Utensils

During today’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture, and Environmental Protection, amendments to the laws on 'Trade and Services', 'Administrative Offenses', and 'Market Surveillance' were discussed in the first reading. The package of proposed laws was introduced to the committee by Deputy Minister Ara Mkrtchyan.

According to the proposal, starting from January 1, 2027, the sale or presence of polyethylene bags and single-use containers and utensils (plates, cups, spoons, forks, knives, and sticks for drinking or mixing) will be prohibited in trade facilities, public catering establishments, trade venues, mobile trade points, fairs, and exhibitions. Exceptions will be made for bags used for weighing and packing, as well as for bags produced from secondary raw materials designed for waste. For the first violation of this ban, a warning will be issued, while subsequent violations will incur fines ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 drams.

The responsibility for monitoring these violations is expected to be jointly assigned to local self-governments and the market surveillance inspection body, with regulations for monitoring being established.