Kyrgyzstan imports almost 95 percent of paper bags. The Chief Specialist at the Waste Management Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, Almaz Oskonbaev, told at a forum.
According to him, paper production in the republic is not developed at the proper level, so it produces only 5 percent itself. There is a tendency of increasing the import of such products.
Almaz Oskonbaev recalled the law adopted in 2023 on limiting the circulation of plastic bags in specially protected areas. «The ban is currently in effect on the territory of wildlife sanctuaries, reserves, biosphere territories and natural parks, as well as in Issyk-Kul region. In accordance with the requirements of the law, we plan to completely ban the circulation of polymer bags in 2027,» he said.
In his speech, the chief specialist noted that the volume of garbage disposed in the country is growing annually. If in 2019, on average, one Kyrgyzstani produced 185 kilograms of garbage per year, then in 2023 this figure reached 279 kilograms.
