Environment Ministry renews crack-down on plastic bag violations

AMMAN — The Ministry of Environment is reviewing the mechanism for importing, producing and selling biodegradable plastic shopping bags, in line with regulations passed back in 2017, according to a statement by the ministry.

Head of the Solid Waste Management Department at the Ministry Heba Zaabalawi said in the statement that the banning of non-biodegradable plastic bags, as recently announced by the ministry, is “not a recent matter”, but was included within the regulations of the 2017 biodegradable plastic bag law.

“What is new is that the ministry decided to work in partnership with several parties to develop a comprehensive mechanism and a plan of action that would implement the law more seriously when it comes to the banning of plastic bags,” Zaabalawi said.

Since the law was instated in 2017, field officers were tasked to execute inspection tours on establishments involved in the production of plastic shopping bags to ensure their commitment to the new regulations, according to the statement.

These regulations included adding biodegradable material to the local product as well as not producing black plastic bags.

Although the statement did not mention what the new mechanism’s agenda would add to current regulations, Zaabalawi said a crackdown on unlicensed violators of the law would be “on the forefront of the agenda”.

“According to the new legislative system, there are specific bags that will be absolutely banned, especially lightweight ones. It will also reinforce the regulation that everything must be biodegradable, with the exception of heavyweight plastics that are intended for multiple uses," added Zaabalawi.

The ministry’s recent announcement of a total and reinforced ban on plastic bags was well-received on social media, with many environmental activists praising the move towards a greener Jordan.

Jumana Magableh, a soil scientist and environmental enthusiast, said on Twitter that Jordan’s reinforcement of the law is “a conscious move towards taking climate change seriously”.

The decision was also praised recently by Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Aránzazu Bañón Dávalos, whose country is currently hosting the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.