Astana residents urge to refuse plastic bags

The purpose of the environmental campaign is to inculcate the ecological culture of consumption to the population and to form the environmental awareness among the population, the Department of the Internal Policy of Mayor’s Office informed.

Within the framework of the environmental campaign the following activities are planned:

- conducting an expanded campaign among the population about the negative impact of plastic bags under the means of broadcasting video clips on the LED screens of the city and public transport, broadcasting audio clips, preparing special reports on the republican television channels, placing on billboards;

- attraction of volunteers for the purpose of distribution of leaflets;

- implementation of eco-packages at the cash registers of trade networks.

In 2018, the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan will introduce amendments to the current legislation of Kazakhstan, regarding the introduction of a ban on the free sale of plastic bags.

It is worth noting that annually discarded polyethylene bags form stable pollution of ecosystems. When burning and decomposing plastic bags, hazardous chemical compounds are formed, such as dioxins, furans, benzapyrene, etc. On average, polyethylene bags are used for 20 minutes, while the period of their decomposition is from 100 to 500 years. To date, more than 40 foreign countries (European Union countries, Australia, Singapore, Bangladesh, etc.) have reduced turnover or introduced a ban on the use of plastic bags. The solution to this problem is the use of eco-packages (paper bags, biodegradable bags, cloth reusable bags).

For reference: the decomposition period of paper bags is 1-2 months, biodegradable packages from plant raw materials - from 3 months to 2 years.