Tbilisi, Georgia

We all know what plastic bags are. They have been used for years when people were not aware of the negative impact on the environment by using plastic bags. As it turned out later consequences are devastating. To underline complexity and global nature of this problem, it is important to say that there is now even a special term used such as “Plastic Bag Addiction” worldwide to describe consumer behaviour when it comes to using the plastic bags.[1] Now, it is time to act to stop pollution and save the environment we all live in.

In Georgia, people started actively using plastic bags in the 90s.  Back then plastic bags were perceived as some type of modernity and even an item of luxury sometimes. Step by step situation went out of control I would say, and plastic bags littered streets, parks and countryside. If we look at the statistics we can see that plastic bag usage per capita has drastically grown during the last 20 years in Georgia. Particularly, the gruesome picture could be observed next to the open landfills where the wind blows away plastic bags and they are taken to the neighbouring fields, trees and bushes. It is not rare when livestock eats the plastic bags and we can all imagine the direct negative impact on human health after receiving dairy or meat products from that livestock.

I am proud of my country because our government has realized the issue and taken an effective regulation. From the 1st October of 2018 new regulation came into force which banned the production, import and realization of really thin (less than 15 microns) plastic bags, and now from April 1 another step of this governmental regulation will be a complete ban of non-biodegradable plastic bags. This is a great achievement not only for Georgians but also for the world because by implementing this kind of laws the world is becoming more sustainable to live in. It should also be noted that Georgia has become the first post-soviet country to implement and then enact that kind of legislation. It is important to mention that single-use plastics will be banned in the EU by 2021.[2]

Of course, implementing those kinds of laws is great, but raising awareness in the community is the most crucial part. With the support of USAID, the awareness-raising project was implemented by Sweden Alumni Network Georgia and CENN - Caucasus Environmental NGO Network.  They hosted a number of awareness sessions all around Georgia. They selected motivated teenagers to do presentations and participate in different projects. I am proud that I was among those outstanding young leaders and I was honoured to conduct an awareness-raising information session about plastic bags at my school for my fellow schoolchildren. Within the framework of this project, CENN also placed waste separation stands in Tbilisi to separate 4 kinds of waste: aluminium, glass, paper and plastic. For now, this project is only in Tbilisi but CENN is planning to get this type of stands in other regions too.

To conclude, I would like to say that I feel more positive and optimistic that with joint efforts made by the government and civil society with regulations and awareness-raising campaigns our environment can be saved and stay more sustainable for our better future life!

Saba Iakobidze, Regional Ambassador in Georgia (Caucasus) of the 22nd Eco-generation Program

[1] Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/11759608/Five-reasons-why-our-plastic-bag-habit-is-bad.html Date of access: March 12, 2019

[2] Source: https://www.euronews.com/2018/12/26/2018-review-single-use-plastics-to-be-banned-in-eu Date of access: March 12, 2019