AZE.US
Several supermarket chains in Azerbaijan have again raised prices for plastic shopping bags.
Depending on their size, polyethylene bags are now sold at checkout for 7 gapiks ($0.04) and 9 gapiks ($0.05).
The same bags were previously priced at 3 and 5 gapiks, meaning their cost has risen by nearly twofold.
Plastic bags have been sold separately at supermarket checkouts since 2023 under a policy introduced by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and other relevant state agencies.
The measure was intended to reduce the use of disposable plastic and encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags, milli.az informs.
Polyethylene bags can take hundreds of years to fully decompose, contributing to environmental pollution and long-term damage to ecosystems.
Similar pricing policies and restrictions on single-use plastic bags have also been introduced in many other countries as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste.
AZE.US