On July 12, which is Plastic-Bag Free Day in Iran, several organizations once again geared up to raise public awareness about the environmental problems posed by plastic bags.
For a week, Tehran and several other provinces will implement a program of using biodegradable bags in stores and markets bearing the logo “less plastic, cleaner earth, better health”.
The head of Fruit and Vegetable Markets announced that all plastic bags have been replaced with paper and cloth bags in its 15 markets across the capital, eliminating the use of 400 million plastic bags.
Plastic-Bag Free Day was launched in Iran following a proposal by the Fruit and Vegetable Markets in 2012, which immediately found the support of Tehran City Development offices and the Department of the Environment. The markets have since completely stopped using plastic bags.
Statistics indicate that 177,000 tons of plastic bags are produced each year in Iran. Across the world, 3.5 million tons of waste is produced each day, and Iran’s contribution to that is now pegged at 40,000 tons a day.
The international Plastic-Bag Free Day is observed on July 3.
