Environmental group distributes a million paper bags in Erbil to combat plastic waste 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An environmental group in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil has distributed a million paper bags to the city’s bakeries to combat plastic waste resulting from excessive use of plastic bags. 

Eco-vital, a Kurdish environmental NGO based in the Kurdish capital, has undertaken this green project, called Eliminating Plastic in Erbil, since July 2021 to raise awareness of the environmental damages plastic bags cause. 

Funded by the European Union and implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program, the Kurdish NGO has begun distributing environmentally-friendly bags to the shops.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has also contributed to the project, according to the environmentalists.

The million paper bags were delivered to 500 bakeries in Erbil. Each bakery received 2,000 bags in four different sizes, one of the organizers told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday. 

The project aims to “protect the Kurdistan environment and public health,” Hemin Ali, another organizer, told Kurdistan 24. 

Described as “black disgrace”, environmental groups have intensified efforts to tackle the environment-damaging bags that are widely used. 

In addition to distributing paper bags, the group has also spread brochures and posters in the city that warn users of the health consequences of plastic bags. 

In the future, the group aims to distribute the bags to supermarkets and shops, according to the organizers. 

Plastic bags are free-of-charge across the Kurdistan Region.

The volunteers said that one challenge the environmentalists face convincing the shop owners to switch to paper bags is the higher cost.