Managment of Plastic Bags Waste: An Assessment of Scenarios in Jordan

01.Jan.2017

​The plastic bags waste littering problem is significantly increasing in Jordan and becomes a pressing issue. However, no comprehensive policy has been so far advanced. The main objective of this study is to advance and assess different scenarios to control the use of plastic bags based on enviro-socio-economic impacts analysis. The results obtained reveal that a blanket ban may not be the best possible solution for the environment. It is shown as well that the imposition of an environmental levy on the plastic bags can reduce their consumption by 70 %. Moreover, it has better sustainable impacts in comparison with other scenarios even though it does not fully eliminate the littering problem. A proper cost-benefit analysis of reduction of plastic bag consumption is recommended to estimate the social cost of plastic bag consumption and the actual costs of alternative instruments.