BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 30
By Fidan Babayeva - Trend:
In order to reduce the use of plastic bags in Azerbaijan, firstly it is necessary to charge a fee for plastic bags issued today in markets free of charge, Kamran Hajizadeh, Chairman of the Association of the Packaging Industry, told Trend.
According to the director, from 2021, the sale of plastic bags and disposable tableware in Azerbaijan will be limited.
“This issue is reflected in the amendments to the draft law ‘On Environmental Protection’, which were discussed during a meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament on November 29. It is proposed that the law regarding plastic bags will enter into force on January 1, 2021, and for disposable plastic products - from July 1, 2021,” Valiyev said.
“Germany charges surplus packaging fees as part of its Green Dot program, which includes plastic bags. In addition, all shops in Germany that sell plastic bags must pay a recycling tax. Following this decision in 2015, the use of plastic bags in Germany decreased by 64 percent. Another interesting point is that in Germany, following the measures taken, the number of plastic bags per person for a year has decreased by 24 pieces,” the executive director said.
Touching upon the topic of plastic recycling in Azerbaijan, Valiyev said that the Balakhany waste sorting plant was created for the purpose of recycling and recycling plastic, but 90 percent of plastic products are burned, which leads to energy losses and causes environmental damage.
He stressed that the second step to reduce the production and use of plastic bags is the use of recycled plastic bags, and the use of colored (recycled) bags with one logo in all grocery stores.
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