Shopping practices: Govt to ban non-biodegradable bags after three months

Plastic factories to be registered so they can be monitored.


Our Correspondent October 03, 2015
Plastic factories to be registered so they can be monitored. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR: Recommendations to register plastic factories and impose a ban on polythene shopping bags have been compiled and would be shown to the chief minister. The ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags will be enforced after three months. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government earlier decided to impose a ban on plastic bags which are not biodegradable and to register the manufacturers of the notorious black plastic bag.

MPA Shaukat Yousafzai presided over a conference on Friday which was held by a monitoring committee on plastic shopping bags in which recommendations were presented. It was recommended that no factory be allowed to work without registration.

After three months, no industry would be allowed to produce plastic bags other than those which are biodegradable.

It was shared at the meeting that current plastic bags weigh between five and 10 microns and resultantly are being dumped in nullahs and streets. A micron is a unit used to measure the thickness of plastic bags. However, the weight of the newly-manufactured bags would 30 microns for one year and the industries manufacturing them would be under observation for a further 12 months. Also, the material used for plastic bags would clearly be identified as biodegradable.

The meeting included the Peshawar commissioner as well as the secretaries for forestry and environment, municipal, and industries. The environment director general, general manager of the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar and managers of Smeda Manager and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber for Commerce and Industry were also in attendance. They collectively recommended the deputy commissioners of districts monitor shops.

The recommendations were compiled and would be shown to the chief minister in the coming week. Yousafzai added the government was making efforts to beautify the provincial capital and make it a model city, while people needed to cooperate to ensure cleanliness.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2015.

 

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