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AMMAN — Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera participated in World Environment Day with a ceremony that celebrated the recent passing of a law to eliminate the use of plastic bags nationwide, placing Chile at the cutting edge in Latin America in the area of ecology, according to a statement received by The Jordan Times.
Accompanied by Environment Minister Marcela Cubillos, the president walked through a 15-metre-long tunnel lined with plastic bags that had been installed in Plaza de la Ciudadanía to raise awareness of ecological damage.
He emphasised that the country produces over 3.4 billion plastic bags each year. Each has a useful life of 30 minutes but takes 400 years to biodegrade, “causing harm to our environment and our nature”.
Prohibiting the use of plastic bags in shops was the first government project to be approved by Congress with broad support.
“Chile is showing that it is a responsible country that is committed to the environment. We need to move away from the idea that everything is disposable and go back to a healthier culture in which items can be reused or recycled,” the president said, according to the statement.