‘EPA working to contain plastic pollution’

'Corporate authorities to submit a recycling plan of used polythene bags to avoid pollution '

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is determined to make the capital a plastic bag free city and has permitted the production of plastic bags for specific sectors to reduce plastic pollution through limited use, recycling and safe disposal.

Deputy Director Sadia Munawar told the media on Wednesday that the EPA had imposed a corporate extended responsibility on specified plastic bags users and manufacturers since the users were bound to recycle the consumed plastic bags.

She said that corporate officials or entities would have to pay Rs10,000 fee to EPA to receive authorization along with a recycling plan to avail the facility.

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"Corporate authorities are supposed to submit a proper recycling plan of used polythene bags that explains how they will collect plastic bags from garbage and recycle it to avoid pollution ", she said.

She highlighted measures taken in Islamabad, saying that Rs210,000 in fines were imposed and 200 kg of plastic bags were confiscated since the start of the current year. The manufacturing, selling and distribution of plastics bags were banned in the capital since 2019.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2022.