Iran is the 5th largest consumer of plastic with 500,000 tons used per year, which is a rather high figure considering the fact that it is the 18th most populated country in the world.
Mohammad Darvish, director of the Public Participation Office at Department of Environment, revealed the data warning that plastic waste will soon grow to a critical problem if not tactfully controlled.
"Although consumption of the material is inevitable, its injudicious usage in Iran is worrying," Darvish said.
The official attributed the problem mostly to the low price of disposable products in the country.
"If customers were charged for each plastic bag they receive from shop keepers, as is the case in most countries, they would be motivated to choose cloth bags or use the disposable ones more than once," he said.
Darvish maintained that while plastic cannot be eliminated from everyday life, it could be gradually replaced with a more eco-friendly alternative.
He noted that the government can play a key role in controlling plastic waste by providing support to the production of biodegradable and compostable material.
"Environment-friendly materials are recycled in nature in two weeks and do not in any way reduce the soil's water absorption capacity or cause food poisoning for livestock," Darvish noted.
"Incentives such as tax discounts for industries that use less plastic in their packaging can also contribute to tackling the problem," he suggested.
The official called on the public to avoid using disposable plates, cups, bowls and cutlery as much as possible and replace plastic bags with green bags.
According to Majid Abbaspour, head of Iranian Society of Environmentalists , the oldest plastic bag and packaging manufacturer in Iran was established in 1958.
"Today, some 250,000 tones of bags are produced in Iran every year," he said during a radio program.
He noted that addressing the issue involves both policymaking and awareness raising.
Global Scope
Among numerous plastic items that people use every day, disposable bags have raised the greatest concern as they constitute much of the plastic waste worldwide.
According to research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, between 500 billion and 1 trillion disposable bags are used each year worldwide, which is an average of 150 bags per person per year.
Plastic bags, while only used for an average of about 12 minutes, remain in landfills, oceans and other places for thousands of years.
Many developed nations have laws in place to reduce or ban plastic bag consumption, or have taken measures to promote the use of reusable, biodegradable material.
In Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, plastic bags are taxed, while Italy banned the use of single-use plastic bags in 2010.
The European Parliament has passed a directive to reduce plastic bag use by 50% by 2017 and 80% by 2019. Member states are obliged to ban or restrict the use of lightweight plastic bags.
Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh in Asia as well as Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana in Africa have followed suit.
