The Price of Plastic Bags Will Be 50 Kurush in the New Year

In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change implemented a fee for plastic bags, which will be set at 50 kuruş starting from January 1, 2025.

Plastic bags were made subject to a fee as of January 1, 2019, to combat pollution caused by plastic waste. Since then, they have been sold at retail locations and shopping centers for a price determined by the ministry, which was 25 kuruş.

To determine the price of plastic bags to be implemented in the new year, a Plastic Bag Commission Meeting was held on November 21 at the Ministry with the participation of relevant public institutions, associations, and federation representatives active in the sector.

During the meeting coordinated by the General Directorate of Environmental Management, the opinions of sector representatives were also gathered. It was emphasized that despite the production and recycling participation fee (GEKAP) of 1 lira 19 kuruş per bag and costs exceeding 2 lira, only 25 kuruş was charged to consumers. Furthermore, it was expressed that the price of 25 kuruş was not sufficient to reduce plastic bag consumption, highlighting the increase in the usage of plastic bags. The requests from sector representatives at the commission meeting were presented to the Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Murat Kurum. Following the evaluations, it was decided that the fee for plastic bags would be set at 50 kuruş in 2025.

This decision will take effect as of January 1, 2025.