Turkey Updates Plastic Bag Charging Rules for 2026

Turkey has confirmed that from January 1, 2026, all chargeable plastic bags must be sold at a fixed price of 1 TL per bag (tax included), with no free distribution, discounts, or price variations, including for online sales. The updated rules reinforce strict reporting, receipt disclosure, and enforcement obligations while maintaining specific exemptions as part of Turkey’s ongoing effort to reduce plastic bag use and support waste-prevention goals.

Turkey has officially updated its Procedures and Principles Regarding the Charging of Plastic Bags, confirming that all chargeable plastic bags will cost a fixed 1 TL (0.020 EUR) per bag in 2026, including taxes. The update was adopted by a ministerial decree dated December 23, 2025, following consultations with industry representatives and civil society within the Packaging Commission

Under the revised rules, plastic bags must be sold for 1 TL per unit regardless of size or content, and no higher or lower price may be applied throughout 2026. Plastic bags may not be provided free of charge, bundled into promotions, or offered automatically without customer request, including in distance sales. The goal remains to reduce plastic bag consumption and support Turkey’s waste-prevention and resource-efficiency goals.

The regulation continues to apply to all sales points without exception, including physical stores and online sales, while certain bags remain outside the scope of the fee. These exemptions include thin hygiene bags for unpackaged food, pharmacy bags for medicines, shipping bags, bags used in duty-free shops, and bags for live aquatic animals and seed plants.

Sales points are required to display plastic bag prices clearly, show bag sales as a separate item on receipts, use barcoded bags, and declare sales through the Ministry’s online information system. Producers and importers must also register and report plastic bag production and sales data. Alternative reusable options such as paper or cloth bags must be offered, and chain supermarkets are specifically required to provide paper bags at checkouts if requested.

Monitoring and enforcement remain with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and provincial authorities. Businesses that fail to declare sales, pay the recycling participation fee, or that distribute plastic bags free of charge may face administrative fines under the Environmental Law.

The updated rules apply from their publication date, with the 1 TL fixed price becoming mandatory from January 1, 2026, reinforcing Turkey’s long-standing plastic bag charging regime first introduced in 2019.