News Desk |
The ban on the sale and purchase of polythene shopping bags is being enforced in different cities of Pakistan to curb plastic pollution.
Baluchistan
Administrator Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) Farooq Langove said 12 plastic warehouse had been sealed in different parts of the Quetta. “Those producing and selling plastic bags were given two months. That deadline has now expired,” Langove added.
The QMC administrator told reporters that biodegradable shopping bags are being introduced in the city and a private manufacturing plant to produce them has become operational.
Langove warned against the use of any shopping bags which were not biodegradable. “Action will be taken against those found to be using plastic shopping bags.” He advised traders to only use biodegradable shopping bags as they were environmentally friendly.
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Pakistan’s metropolises have some of the world’s highest concentration of non-recyclable wastes. According to a survey, In Pakistan, roughly 20 million tons of solid waste is generated annually, with annual growth rate of about 2.4 percent. Karachi, largest city in the country, generates more than 9,000 tons of municipal waste daily.
Sindh
The use of plastic shopping bags has also been banned by the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) in Karachi. The CBC has set a deadline of June 30 for the enforcement of the ban. Sindh Cabinet in November last year decided to put a ban on usage of polythene bags across the province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan on March 6 also directed the authorities to put ban on plastic bag usage to avoid hazards of plastic pollution.
Gilgit-Baltistan
The Hunza district administration has also slashed the use of plastic shopping bags in order to control environmental degradation.
Punjab
Earlier this week, the Lahore division commissioner directed all deputy commissioners in the division to ban polythene bags/plastic shopping bags in Ramazan bazaars. Lahore Commissioner Dr Mujtaba Piracha said that plastic pollution and excessive use of polythene bags were great menaces and joint efforts were needed to curb them.
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He said that initially a comprehensive awareness campaign would be launched. He said that plastic shopping bag manufacturing was a big industry so there was a need to take short-term and long-term steps.