MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Natural Resources Ministry has come up with a list of 28 types of goods and packages recommended for prohibition on the territory of the country. The list was put together by the Russian environmental operator company, an official with the ministry told TASS.

The list, which was obtained by TASS, includes disposable plastic straws, disposable plates, glasses, tableware utensils, lids, coffee capsules, cotton swabs, non-transparent and colored bottles made of thermoplastic polyester, boxes and packs for tobacco products, blister packaging (except for medicines), packaging for chicken and quail eggs, several types of bags: doypacks, flow packs, jar-shaped packs, sachet bags, and mesh bags for vegetables and fruits.

The ministry stressed that the prohibition of these types of goods and packaging can be introduced only after the creation of infrastructure for the production of substitute alternative products.

‘Alternative’ reality

The list of alternative types of goods and packaging has already been prepared. For example, the ministry suggests that straws, stirrers, tableware utensils and cotton swabs could be replaced with paper, wood or other materials of plant origin. It also suggests replacing the blister pack with a paper one.

It is proposed to abandon bags and films made of polymeric materials in favor of reusable products. However, no alternative to plastic coffee capsules have been found yet.

About the ban

Earlier on Friday, Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov said that his ministry had sent a proposal to the Industry and Trade Ministry to ban the use of 28 disposable types of packaging and goods in Russia.

In late May, Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko announced that the government is going to ban the use of colored plastic, plastic straws, disposable plastic at the legislative level. She said that the government was preparing the appropriate amendments, subsequently insisting that the ban would not lead to a spike in prices.

According to the new EPR concept (extended producer responsibility), starting on January 1, 2022, a 100% recycling standard has been established for packaging, which accounts for up to 50% of the total volume of municipal solid waste, and by 2030, the volume of waste sent for disposal will be halved. For companies that are not ready to dispose of packaging on their own, an environmental fee will be established.