The municipal Funeral Services Company launched a campaign aimed at reducing the use of plastic flowers on the grounds that they affect the environment and turn cemeteries into non-recyclable waste dumps, IPN reports.

According to the Company, more than 25,000 plastic funeral wreaths are every year brought to the cemeteries in Chisinau alone. After a short period of use, they become waste that is impossible to recycle because the materials from which they are made contain different chemical compounds. Moreover, the municipal landfills refuse to accept them, which means that the waste remains in cemeteries for an indefinite period of time, affecting both their appearance and public health.

Microplastics resulting from funeral wreaths can reach the soil, water and air and, along the way, they can even penetrate the human body, having negative effects on health. In the absence of effective recycling solutions, the Funeral Services Company urges to impose a ban on the import, manufacture and sale of plastic flowers in Moldova.

"We have no other solution than to store this waste in cemeteries, where it slowly degrades and pollutes the environment," said the Company.

The authorities, environmental organizations, economic agents and citizens are urged to join the campaign and opt for biodegradable alternatives, natural flowers and wreaths made of recyclable materials.