During this time, Ukrainians more than doubled their consumption of biodegradable bags.
During the year of the government’s decision to establish minimum retail prices for plastic bags Ukrainians reduced their use by 40-90% and more than doubled the consumption of biodegradable bags.
This was announced by First Deputy Minister of Economy Denys Kudin, reports press service ministries
“The decision of the government, which set the minimum retail prices for plastic bags, gave a significant result in one year – Ukrainians reduced the purchase of such bags by 40% to 90%, depending on their type. And they are increasingly using biodegradable ones that do not pollute the environment. In particular, in some supermarket chains, the sales of biodegradable bags increased 13-15 times in 2022,” Kuda’s press service of the Ministry of Economy quotes.
According to him, the decrease in the volume of sales of plastic bags occurred in the conditions of the increase in their purchase prices, which contributed to the creation of the necessary economic guarantees for manufacturers of plastic bags. And it also stimulated these manufacturers to modernize production and technological processes and develop the production of biodegradable plastic bags, and ultimately led to an increase in their sales.
Use of plastic bags in Ukraine: details
Minimum retail prices for plastic bags with walls over 50 micrometers thick were introduced from February 1, 2022 in order to reduce the volume of use of plastic bags in Ukraine and limit their distribution. And also to create conditions for improving the state of environmental safety as a result of a gradual reduction in the amount of waste in the form of used plastic bags.