The Ministry of Ecology will develop a draft law on reducing plastic waste by November 1. The document provides for the creation of plastic receiving points, the installation of equipment for receiving containers or introduction of the practice of its return to the manufacturer for payment.
The draft law on the introduction of international mechanisms for reducing plastic waste will be developed by the Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Protection of the environment and climate change of Uzbekistan until November 1, 2025.
This instruction is contained in the State Program of the Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy.
The document should provide for the creation of plastic collection points, the installation of devices for receiving containers or the introduction of a practice of returning containers that allows citizens to receive payment for the delivered plastic from the importer or manufacturer.
Earlier, the inventory of plastic waste showed that Uzbekistan annually generates 10.2 million tons of waste, 10.3% of which is plastic. In 2022, the volume of the latter turned out to be 2.5 times more than in 2013.
The largest consumers of plastic are the packaging sector, the transport sector and construction.
Almost in every region there are enterprises for the production of plastic products, including dishes and bags. In addition, imports of plastic products to the country far exceed exports and in 2023 amounted to 158.5 thousand tons in the amount of $487.5 million. Uzbekistan's exports of plastic goods for 2023 amounted to 47.3 thousand tons in the amount of $90.1 million.
The Ministry of Ecology, presenting the results of the inventory, noted that for the effective management of plastic waste requires an increase in the number of recycling facilities, especially for polyethylene, polypropylene and pet.
The draft state program for this year also proposed to ban the production, import and use of plastic bags from 2027, as well as to stimulate the use of environmentally friendly bags. However, the signed version of the document does not provide for this.
Source: gazeta.uz
