Armenia will ban the sale and presence of plastic bags and a range of single-use plastic items from January 1, 2027. The Market Supervision Inspection Body issued a notice on August 10 telling businesses to bring their operations into line before that date.
The restrictions come from amendments to the laws on trade and services and on market supervision, and to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which the National Assembly adopted in second and final reading on March 25, 2026.
From January 1, 2027, retail outlets, food service establishments, trading venues, mobile vending points, fairs, trade exhibitions and open-air trade will not be allowed to sell or hold polyethylene bags and sacks, or single-use items made of plastic or foam plastic. The listed items are containers, plates, cups, cup lids, spoons, forks, knives, and drinking and stirring sticks.
The ban applies to polyethylene bags and sacks of any thickness, including those above 50 microns, which the current rules leave alone.
The law sets 3 exceptions: polyethylene bags used for bulk packaging, garbage bags produced from recycled material, and plastic containers with lids used for bulk packaging.
Businesses that break the rules face a warning for a first violation and a fine of 100,000 to 150,000 drams, about $273 to $410, for repeat violations, under the Code of Administrative Offenses. The current fine is 30,000 to 100,000 drams, about $82 to $273. Enforcement falls to the Market Supervision Inspection Body and to local self-government bodies.
Armenia has tried this before. A ban on polyethylene bags up to 50 microns thick took effect on January 1, 2022, and the Environment Ministry told Sputnik Armenia in 2023 that it had not worked. Retailers moved to thicker bags, which the rule did not reach, and single-use bags stayed in circulation at a higher price.
Authorities then announced a wider ban to begin on January 1, 2024, and it was not introduced.
Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan presented the current package at a cabinet meeting in November 2025. He said reusable paper and cloth bags are proposed as alternatives to plastic bags, and paper or wooden tableware and paper or foil containers as alternatives to plastic dishes.
Matevosyan said the measure carries environmental, economic, political and public health weight, and pointed to Armenia’s role as host of the upcoming COP17 conference.
The justification attached to the bill said Armenia’s water areas, recreation sites and tourism destinations are contaminated with used polyethylene packaging and other single-use plastic waste, and that such waste continues to harm the environment even in landfills, releasing carcinogenic dioxin and furan gases through sun exposure and spontaneous combustion.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at that meeting that the government would need public awareness campaigns, daily work with businesses and support programs, and a clear plan in place before January 1, 2027.
Further details are available on the website of the Market Supervision Inspection Body.
