Russia plans to push the ban on plastics from the legislative level

On May 28, 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Abramchenko announced that the Russian government is amending legislation to prohibit the production of non-recyclable plastic materials in Russia. The ban will cover plastic materials that are particularly difficult or impossible to recycle, such as disposable tableware, cotton swabs, plastic straws, colored plastics and similar materials.

Although President Putin's huge waste disposal reform project took effect in 2019, the abuse and recycling of plastics are still in a bad situation. Last year, a government audit showed that only 7% of Russia's waste was recycled and more than 90% of it was sent to landfills. Abramchenko said that Russia plans to put half of the construction, agricultural and industrial waste into circulation as second-hand raw materials. Abramchenko predicts that by 2030, Russia's landfill volume will be halved. At the same time, Abramchenko pointed out that she herself is opposed to fines for those who throw plastic garbage such as disposable glasses on the beach. In this regard, she explained that fines are a kind of bottom-up plan, which cannot be managed by fines on people, but should create conditions for reducing the circulation of plastics.

Source: Yadrovo, Moscow region, Russia. ©Sputnik

"Russian Environmental Operator" (Note: a non-profit organization established in 2019 by the President of the Russian Federation) General Manager Buchaev said that only taking Russia’s Black Sea coast as an example, environmental protection volunteers are there every month As many as 92 kilograms of plastic was cleaned up and recycled on these beaches.

Russia’s trading partner, the European Union, introduced a similar ban on plastics in April 2021. Canada, the United Kingdom, China and parts of the United States have also introduced measures to ban all or part of non-recyclable plastics.

Plastic materials are a major pollutant. Through the pollution of animals, plants and other forms of life passed down from generation to generation, they cause lasting damage to the earth's ecosystem. Plastic products will accelerate climate change throughout their life cycle. Plastic production is related to carbon emissions. . After being discarded, plastic will enter the ocean and mix with plankton, limiting the ocean's ability to absorb greenhouse gases, which may also accelerate the climate crisis.