Ruben Khachatryan, Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, said today that the plastic bags so freely handed out in Yerevan shops are killing the environment and ordinary people. "I’m not only talking about the plastic bags we use for our food shopping. Even the plastic toys and other stuff we buy eventually winds up in the garbage. None of it can be recycled," he said, adding that the Armenian authorities are not monitoring the importation of plastics nor their local manufacture. As a result, Armenia is awash in the stuff, he argued.

The grassroots environmentalist told reporters that it takes years for plastic to be broken down it the soil and that in the process a host of toxics are released into the environment, many carcinogenic. The answer, Mr. Khachatryan said, is the use of paper shopping bags. Paper can be recycled, but the few paper recycling companies in Armenia aren’t getting adequate government support. He told Hetq that recycling of paper was a profitable business The environmentalist said he only buys bottled liquids and always uses a paper bag. He has entered into an agreement with the Star, Fresh and Zovk food stores to carry paper bags for their customers. They are sold for 50 AMD, a price much lower that their actual cost.