We should learn from New Zealand and follow in their footsteps
TURBAT: According to news reports, New Zealand banned single-use plastic shopping bags on July 1st. The legislation was announced six months in advance to give businesses time to make the switch to environmentally-friendly bags and flouting the ban will result in heavy fines. However, most businesses had stopped using plastic bags prior to the ban voluntarily. Despite these efforts, the use of single-use plastic bags and other things has become a global issue which endangers marine life and birds and also threatens the environment. The steps taken by the authorities of New Zealand are truly praiseworthy, and should be emulated. Even though local governments in Pakistan banned plastic bags, the ban is not being implemented by the authorities as citizens and businesses continue to violate it. We should learn from New Zealand and follow in their footsteps. Plastic bags are choking oceans and playing havoc with the environment. People should use cloth bags for shopping and for other purposes
Bakhtiyar Phullan
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2019.
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