Production of Plastic Bags will be Banned in Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, September 14
Production and usage of plastic bags will be banned in Georgia starting from this year, while from 2019 production and the sale of the product will be punished by law, the Georgian government says.
The government claims that the step comes in the wake of the international efforts to reduce the negative impact of the plastic on nature, as the degradation of plastic things requires hundreds of years.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia and Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said that the production and the sale of only such bags will be permitted which are nature-friendly-easily degradable.
Bakhtadze admitted that the pollution with plastic is one of the severe problems in Georgia which must be addressed.
The changes and dates are as follows:
From October 1, 2018 production of plastic bags with the thickness less than 15 micrometers, as well as their import and the sale will be banned.
From April 1, 2019 production of any type of plastic bags will be banned.
Only production and the sale of such bags will be allowed, which are biodegradable and safe for the environment.
The Georgian opposition has called upon the government to pay more attention to environmental issues and the enforcement of the legislation which concerns pollution.
The opposition believes that only the adoption of laws and imposition of restrictions is not sufficient.
