Volume 21, Issue 2 (7-2025)
J Health Syst Res 2025, 21(2): 144-154 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Taghipour H, Sharifi H. Methods for Managing and Reducing Single-Use Plastics: A Focus on Iranian Environmental Laws and Regulations. J Health Syst Res 2025; 21 (2) :144-154
URL: http://hsr.mui.ac.ir/article-1-1792-en.html
URL: http://hsr.mui.ac.ir/article-1-1792-en.html
1- Professor, Health and Environment Research Center AND Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2- PhD Student, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2- PhD Student, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract: (81 Views)
Background: Single-use plastics are among the products widely used in recent years due to changing lifestyles, ease of use, and other benefits, and the waste they generate has become one of the most important global health and environmental problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the methods to manage and reduce single-use plastics, considering the economic conditions and environmental laws and regulations of Iran.
Methods: The present study was a review study conducted in winter 2023 by searching various databases using the keywords "Solid Waste Management", "Solid Waste Production", "Single-use Plastic", "Sustainable Development", and "Circular Economy" and reviewing the relevant studies.
Findings: Every year, about 19.28 million tons of household waste is produced in the country, of which about 2.18 million tons is plastic waste. Although 90% of the country's waste is collected by municipalities, only 5%-8% of it is recycled, and the rest is sent to landfills or disposed of improperly. Iran is among the top 10 countries in the world that consume the most single-use plastic containers. Improper disposal of plastics can harm the environment and human and animal health, and it is necessary to take measures to manage it.
Conclusion: To manage single-use plastics, the hierarchy of "comprehensive waste management" should be observed. To this end, it is necessary to reduce the waste at source by applying the right policies concerning the population of societies, creating legal restrictions and bans on the use of single-use containers and plastics (the subject of Article 4 of the Waste Management Act as well as the "Regulation on Reducing the Use of Plastic Bags"), providing incentive opportunities for manufacturers of reusable equipment, developing the culture of separation at source, recycling and reusing materials and energy, and, finally, the proper disposal of unavoidable waste
Methods: The present study was a review study conducted in winter 2023 by searching various databases using the keywords "Solid Waste Management", "Solid Waste Production", "Single-use Plastic", "Sustainable Development", and "Circular Economy" and reviewing the relevant studies.
Findings: Every year, about 19.28 million tons of household waste is produced in the country, of which about 2.18 million tons is plastic waste. Although 90% of the country's waste is collected by municipalities, only 5%-8% of it is recycled, and the rest is sent to landfills or disposed of improperly. Iran is among the top 10 countries in the world that consume the most single-use plastic containers. Improper disposal of plastics can harm the environment and human and animal health, and it is necessary to take measures to manage it.
Conclusion: To manage single-use plastics, the hierarchy of "comprehensive waste management" should be observed. To this end, it is necessary to reduce the waste at source by applying the right policies concerning the population of societies, creating legal restrictions and bans on the use of single-use containers and plastics (the subject of Article 4 of the Waste Management Act as well as the "Regulation on Reducing the Use of Plastic Bags"), providing incentive opportunities for manufacturers of reusable equipment, developing the culture of separation at source, recycling and reusing materials and energy, and, finally, the proper disposal of unavoidable waste
Type of Study: Applicable |
Subject:
Environmental Health Engineering
Received: 2024/04/24 | Accepted: 2024/12/10 | Published: 2025/07/6
Received: 2024/04/24 | Accepted: 2024/12/10 | Published: 2025/07/6
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
