Rs20,000 fine over plastic bag reuse

Using plastic bags in Islamabad can land you a fine of Rs5,000 from March onwards as the Ministry of Climate Change has decided to take strict action on the use of plastic bags in the city, a spokesperson shared on Monday.

The ministry has started an awareness campaign on the usage of plastic bags. He said that people caught using plastic bags will be fined Rs5,000 while shopkeepers and manufacturers Rs10,000, adding that a fine of Rs20,000 will be imposed on those who continue to reuse plastic bags.

The All Pakistan Traders Association President Ajmal Baloch said that the problem is that Islamabad has banned plastic bags but Rawalpindi has not.

Plastic bags have been banned in the federal capital since August 14, 2019. It is illegal to manufacture, sell and distribute plastic bags in the city as ordinary plastic takes years to degrade.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2021.