AMMAN — The 5-years-old decision to
regulate the import, production, and circulation of biodegradable
plastic shopping bags has stayed just that, as bags are still being used in shops
across the Kingdom, Al-Ghad News reported.
اضافة اعلان
In March 2017, the production, import, and
circulation of non-biodegradable plastic bags, including black plastic bags,
was prohibited and the announcement was published in the Official Gazette.
Secretary General of the
Ministry of Environment Mohammad Al-Khashashneh confirmed that such bags are still being used.
“Some 500 production plants in Jordan are not
licensed, while only 250 are, which may be the reason why the use of prohibited
black plastic bags continues in small proportion,” he added.
For heavy weight plastic bags, the new regulation
makes it necessary to add 5 percent biodegradable substances to the raw
material used in the manufacturing process,” according to Khashashneh, who said
that the black plastic bags are banned because they contains 75 percent
recycled materials.¸
According to Khashashneh, the prohibited bags could
take up to 18 months to degrade; that, and the fact that “the examination
required to ensure the presence of degradable material in these products is not
short, and may reach two weeks”, poses a challenge.
This matter “has nothing to do with the
Ministry of Environment, but is rather related to the technology used to inspect the bags,
which requires this period of time”, he said, adding that samples are collected
“first from within the factories that produce them”, and a “pledge is signed by
the owner, that in the event that the biodegradable substance is not present, the
bags will be confiscated, and the owner will have to pay the price of the
examination”.
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