“No single-use plastic”.The government announced the preparation of a ban on non-recyclable materials.

Kremlin today

In the modern world, the problem of pollution of the planet with non-recyclable materials is becoming more and more acute. Especially, often among such materials, non-recyclable, so called disposable plastic is mentioned. Disposable tableware, tubes, plastic bags, takeaway food packaging — all these items are not essential, but comfort, which we have long been accustomed to, over decades of use have become a real threat to the planet and our health. 

Initiative in the Russian Federation

More recently, it became known that the government of the Russian Federation is studying the possibility of banning non-recyclable plastic, plastic tableware is also designated among the products. Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko announced such news at the Clean Country forum.

“We must prohibit the use,use, and release into circulation of non-recyclable materials. Such, for example, as colored plastic, hard-to-recover materials, such as cocktail tubes, disposable tableware, and so on, ” — she stressed.

Abramchenko also noted that by 2030, it’s necessary to achieve the extraction of 50% of secondary material resources from the entire incoming mass of waste. Elena Esina, a member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that she supports this initiative, and additionally noted the fact that business can also support this innovation, if the necessary preferences are developed.

“If this ban is introduced, plus there will be certain preferences for companies that produce reusable dishes, or dishes will not be made of plastic, but from other types of vegetable raw materials, then business will respond with pleasure. And by 2030, we will definitely reach the indicators that will be set by the government, ” — Yessina said in an interview with RT.

Photo:https://musorniy.ru/pererabotka-vtorsyrya-na-zavode-kak-biznes/

Before that, Vladimir Putin also spoke about the initiative to reduce the production of plastic tableware during the December meeting of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation (HRC). But the president stressed that steps in this direction should be taken carefully and deliberately.

“About disposable tableware and plastic… Gradually, we need to reduce it. In some countries, this has started to happen. We need to first implement the best available technology in the largest cities… and act carefully so as not to harm the industry. But it’s necessary to act, ” — he said.

Ban on single-use plastic in the EAEU.  

Back in early March, many media outlets reported on the proposal to gradually introduce a ban on the use of single-use plastic in the EAEU countries. Recall that this union includes the following countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

According to the Izvestia newspaper, this project is already being approved and will be included in the strategy for the development of the Eurasian economic integration. So, it’s known that among the various measures that will be taken to implement this task, there are measures to ban the import and production of single-use plastic.

Photohttps://opennov.ru/news/economics/2019-12-04/23568

The experience of other countries and unions in this matter. 

European Union:

Since the beginning of 2021, a ban on the use of disposable dishes, tubes, and balloon sticks has come into force on the territory of the European Union. Items made of biodegradable plastic and food containers were also banned. It is worth saying that the first of them was banned because of the decomposition not on organic materials, as previously assumed, but on all the same plastic microparticles. At the same time, in landfills, such material can emit a large amount of explosive methane during decomposition. In addition, according to the new law, by 2025, plastic bottles must consist of 25% recycled plastic, and by 2030 — by 30%.

Photo:https://упаковка-посуда.рф/одноразовая-эко-посуда/

Canada:  

This country has decided to completely get rid of plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, plastic holders for drinks cans, cutlery and dishes. This was due to the fact that plastic garbage causes huge damage to the ecosystem of Canada.

Such initiatives are now becoming more popular in many countries, but not only in Europe, but also around the world as a whole. It isn’t clear exactly yet, how this process will take place in Russia. But it will definitely help to improve the ecology of our country, reduce the amount of non-recyclable garbage. Thanks to this, natural raw materials will be used in the production of all the above items.