At its plenary session today, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted, in the first reading, draft law “On Making Amendment and Addendum” to the law “On Trade and Services”, along with the attached presented package of the draft laws. The draft was presented to the legislature by Ara Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the RA.
The package of drafts proposes to prohibit the sale or presence of polyethylene bags and pouches, single-use containers and tableware made of plastic in trade, public catering facilities, places of trade, mobile trading points, fairs (vernissages), exhibitions, as well as in open-air trade from January 1, 2027.
An exception is established for bags made of secondary raw materials intended for garbage, as well as plastic containers with lids used for packaging.
Liability has been established for violating the ban: a warning for the first violation, and a fine in the amount of 100 to 150 thousand drams for the second and subsequent cases.
Oversight and enforcement will be carried out jointly by local self-government bodies and the Market Surveillance Inspection Body, including through monitoring activities.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that limiting the consumption of single-use plastic in Armenia is not only an important environmental, but also a political and economic step. He noted that, ahead of COP17, Armenia is positioning itself as a responsible state committed to the principles of sustainable development.