Parliament bans, imposes fines for thin plastic bags

The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has passed a law restricting the use of plastic shopping bags.

If signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, the law will ban stores from distributing thin and ultra-thin plastic bags with a thickness of less than 50 micrometers. It will also prohibit oxo-degradable bags, which are designed to fall apart into tiny particles over time. The bans will come into effect nine months after the law is published.