Istanbul's Kartal Municipality is pioneering a plastic bag ban to raise recycling and environmental awareness.
The move reflects recent legislation imposed across Europe imposed to reduce the amount of plastic bags than end up in landfill or in the environment by banning plastic bags or charging for them in shops.
The Daily Sabah reported that the municipality announced its decision on Monday (November 16th 2015), while representatives from Kartal's Directorate of Environment Protection and Control have been visiting places of business and retailers to explain the consequences of the ban and how it will impact them.
Decision-makers hope the decision will mean consumers will use re-usable cloth bags and that shops will stock paper bags.
Data from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality reports that ten per cent of 10,000 tonnes of Istanbul's daily waste is made up of plastic bags, with only one per cent of this waste being recycled.