A ban on single-use plastic bags across Mongolia came into force on Friday, (1 March) aiming to protect the environment and public health.

Plastic bags are the most common kind of litter in the world and pose a threat to the environment, as well as the health of humans and animals. Uranchimeg, who is director of the clean technology at the Investment and production division at the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, noted that for this reason the Mongolian government has decided to ban the use, sale, import and production of single-use plastic bags thinner than 0.035 mm across the country.

The Mongolian Customs General Administration and Mongolian State Professional Inspection Agency will monitor the ban’s implementation.

Individuals and enterprises that violate the ban will be fined from MNT 300,000 (around 114 U.S. dollars) to MNT 1 million (about 380 dollars).

It is estimated that more than 2 million tons of waste, including 500,000 tons of plastic waste, are produced in the country each year. Out of the plastic waste, less than 10 percent is recycled, according to the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism.