Azerbaijan is cutting out the plastic, banning the production, import, and sales of plastic products.
According to the ECO Cultural Institute, the ban came into force on July 1, following amendments adopted last November to the country’s “Law on the Protection of the Environment.” Those amendments had already resulted in a ban, starting at the beginning of 2021, on plastic bags of thickness up to 15 microns.
Ahead of the implementation, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources held a meeting with the representatives from big grocery store chains; a ministry representative stressed “the damage plastics cause both to our health and to the environment.” The fines for violators could reach up to 4,000 manats ($2,350).