Cheap loans can be one of the incentives for manufacturers of environmentally friendly packaging. Small and medium-sized businesses could be more proactive and take up a share of this market, Sergei Rumas said.
“We need competition in this sector. Then the prices will be moderate,” the head of government noted.
Belarusian timber, woodworking, pulp and paper industry concern Bellesbumprom laid out the capacities of its enterprises to produce paper bags and packaging. According to Chairman Yuri Nazarov, Bellesbumprom is ready to amp up production and fully cover the needs of the country in paper bags. However, this product should be in demand on the market. Meanwhile plastic bags are cheaper and, therefore, cannot be squeezed out of the market fast.
According to Director of the Secondary Material Resources Operator Natalya Grintsevich, the recycling rate of household waste in Belarus will reach 50% by 2035. Today, this figure stands at 20%. She added that it is becoming more difficult to recycle waste. In 1972, there was 1.4 million tonnes of household waste. The amount reached 3.1 million tonnes in 2018. Glass, metal and paper which are easier to recycle are quickly replaced by polymeric packaging.
Written by minsk-region.gov.by