Crackdown on plastic bags from Dec 10

Traders oppose plastic bag licence as 'hooligan tax'

RAWALPINDI:

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and district administration have announced a joint crackdown on the use and sale of plastic bags in the Rawalpindi Division from December 10.

As part of this initiative, a tax fee will be imposed on shopkeepers who continue to use plastic shopping bags. However, shopkeepers who obtain a plastic license will be allowed to use plastic bags.

Wholesale suppliers of shopper bags will need to obtain a license, which will cost Rs200,000 per year, with a renewal fee of Rs100,000. Similarly, shopkeepers from all types of businesses, including grocery stores, milk vendors, and fruit and vegetable vendors, will also require a license to use plastic shopping bags. The license fee for shopkeepers is Rs100,000 per year, with a renewal fee of Rs 50,000. Upon obtaining this license, shopkeepers will be permitted to use plastic shopping bags in their stores.

Starting December 10, operations will begin against shopkeepers, wholesale dealers and suppliers who do not obtain this license under the Plastic Bag Ban Act. Non-compliant businesses will face penalties, including the sealing of their shops, fines up to Rs100,000, and possible jail terms of up to 72 hours.

The Grocery Merchants Association has vehemently opposed the plastic license, labelling it as a "hooligan tax." According to the association, the government should first impose a ban on the production of plastic bags and seal the factories manufacturing them. Following this, a reprieve should be granted to allow the existing plastic bags in the market to be used. A complete ban should be imposed on plastic bags that expire within three to six months.

Saleem Pervaiz Butt, the president of the Grocery Merchants Association, expressed severe concerns about the newly introduced shopping bag license, saying small grocery shopkeepers, who use up to 15,000 shopping bags per month, will be unfairly impacted by this license.

Butt asked the provincial government to reconsider this policy and otherwise, traders would protest across Punjab.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hassan Waqar Cheema has called a meeting with all shopping bag wholesalers on Thursday (today) to issue notices for obtaining plastic bag licenses.

As per a notice issued by the EPD, a complete ban on single-use plastic has been in effect since June 5. This ban prohibits the manufacture, storage, sale, and use of plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 75 microns.

Those, who violate the Plastic Regulations 2023 will face legal action, including fines and confiscation of prohibited plastic items. In severe cases, shops may even be sealed.

To avoid these consequences, shopkeepers are advised to remove prohibited plastic shopping bags from their premises before December 10 and switch to eco-friendly bags.