YEREVAN. – The Government of Armenia approved today the bill on amendments to the Law on Trade and Services, which proposes to ban the sale and use of plastic bags in commercial establishments, as January 1, 2022.

The issue was presented by Environment Minister Erik Grigoryan, noting that such restrictions are already in force in more than 120 countries.

He noted that government members were given multiple-use bags to set an example for other people.

The minister noted that there would be a reduction in production with 28 companies producing plastic bags, so they are given two years to re-profile.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said it would be great if this regulation be brought to fruition not because of the law, but because of a change in our overall behavior in this regard.

"It's really a serious environmental problem," he said, in particular. "So I urge everyone to use plastic bags as little as possible when shopping."