Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev, speaking at a press conference in the press center of the Government, answering journalists' questions, spoke about the position of the Ministry of Energy towards the phasing out of the sale of plastic bags in retail trade.

"We are considering the issue of free distribution of these packages, I am aware of it, I have lived in different regions, they are distributed in the south of the country, in the north, they are sold, i.e. at least we must come to a single denominator. In 2018, we will carry out this work, it will be public, open and together with public organizations, only then the necessary decisions will be made," said Kanat Bozumbayev.

According to the minister, first of all it is connected with the current ecological code, from January 1, 2019 it will be forbidden to dispose polyethylene as a number of other harmful substances on the landfills.

"It takes a few years for polyethylene to be reworked in the soil, it is causing great harm to the environment. The Ministry of Energy proposes to consider stimulating the production of alternative packaging (biodegradable bags, paper bags, etc.), which after use does not harm human health and the environment. We are not going to use the method of prohibitions, first of all we want to understand for ourselves what the alternative is, and for this we are studying international experience," explained Kanat Bozumbaev.

Earlier, the Minister for Investments and Development Zhenis Kassymbek wrote in his personal blog that in Kazakhstan they plan to ban the free sale of plastic bags.