Manufacturers of plastic bags are warning that 600 jobs are on the line after the Government put a steep price on the items. Once handed away at most supermarket check-outs, the bags are now sold for 15 denars a piece, prompting many people to revert to the Communist era practice of carrying reusable cloth bags. The mandatory price hike was imposed on supermarkets as an environmental measure, to reduce plastic pollution.

Marjan Monevski, who runs a manufacturer of plastic bags, says that orders have dropped by 50 percent, and he was forced to initially fire four of his employees. “We are talking about 30 companies with 600 people working there”, Monevski told TV21.