TEHRAN — Saying goodbye to plastic bags is one of the primary objectives of the Department of Environment (DoE) for this year, Sa’eed Motesaddi, the deputy director of DoE, told a press conference here on Monday.

“Soon we will reveal the details on the incentive, deterrent and punitive measures to promote plastic bags elimination in the country,” he added.

He went on to say that “60 percent of the plastic bags we use are unnecessary, besides these plastics sometimes, because of the components plastics are made up of, they turn into carcinogenic materials when we put freshly baked bread into them.”

Sadly, 50 percent of the plastic bags are used only once worldwide and 40 percent of the marine species are discovered to swallow the plastic debris, he lamented.              

Today using plastic bags is banned in Paris and some international chain stores, he said, adding, “We’d better go back to our long-established and time-honored tradition of using cloth bags.”

“We have conducted in depth research into plastic bags usage, especially in Tehran, which confirms the possibility of plastic bags deletion in the country,” he said, stating “in order to implement this plan many organizations need to participate and we must make some amendments to the law.”

Earth Day 2016: Trees for the Earth

Mentioning to the Earth Day 2016 which will be observed on April 22 and its slogan, “Trees for the Erath”, Motesaddi regretted the fact that “in our country we plant plastics instead of trees.”

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

13 million hectares of forests are being ruined annually and on this very day “we have to do our best to not let the future generation to see these disasters,” he added.

“We are using plastics at an alarming rate, however, decreasing plastic waste is possible and the key is participation of the public and both governing and decision making bodies,” he said.

What is required is a firm plan for waste management, he highlighted.

MQ/MG