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Banning Single-Use Plastics: Can Armenia Take Out the Trash for Good?
Stand outside of any supermarket in Yerevan for an afternoon and Armenia’s plastic problem comes into focus. In a larger, wealthier nation, it’s easy to lose sight of the waste stream, or how our plastics end up in landfills and waterways. In Armenia, plastic pollutants are impossible to ignore. Trash is everywhere, and it has nowhere to go.
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At least those could be taxed and reimbursed to encourage a reduction in use, collection, and creation of recycling facilities; what about cigarette butts that fill the streets and streams everywhere? I have a great idea, ban smoking in public places like restaurants, parks and anywhere where there are children and educate people on the harm to their own children even if they don’t care about self-health or health of others or the waste it generates.
I agree Alfred, cigarette butt pollution is a huge concern, especially in a nation like Armenia where the majority of men are smokers. I learned of a disturbing myth circulating here that cigarettes are somehow good for the soil (perhaps linked to the fact that ash contains magnesium, which plants consume for photosynthesis). Certainly there should be more education on the dangers of smoking, a ban on targeting youth with advertisements, and if smoking can’t be reduced, then more ways to properly dispose of them.