Plastic bags playing havoc with environment

By Khawar Ghumman

ISLAMABAD: Despite the existence of laws banning production and sale of polythene bags in three provinces of the country, the industry continues to flourish, choking drainage systems in major cities and blotting the landscape in every nook and corner of the country.

Ironically, the issue did come up for discussion more than once in the present National Assembly, but failed to attract attention of lawmakers who let it go without seeking any policy statement by the environment minister.

Talking to Dawn, a senior official of the environment ministry said there was no dearth of laws to control unauthorised use of polythene bags, but it needed political will on the part of government. The official said Pakistan was probably the only country in the world where polythene bags were used with impunity.

The official argued that the federal government needed to come up with a plan to fight the menace of plastic shopping bags.

Led by Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh had enacted necessary laws to discourage use of plastic shopping bags, but circumstantial evidence suggests there is no let up, and the industry continues to pollute the environment. The government of the NWFP is yet to do necessary legislation in this regard.

According to official documents available with Dawn, the Balochistan government was the first one to promulgate an ordinance on March 17, 2001, to prohibit the sale and use of polythene bags in the province.

Next was the government of Punjab which promulgated an ordinance on Feb 18, 2002, to prohibit manufacture, sale, use and import of black polythene bags or any other polythene bag below 15 micron thickness in the province. However, anyone who has recently travelled on the G.T. road could easily see plastic bags littering both sides of the road.

Taking a cue from Punjab and Balochistan, the Sindh government promulgated an ordinance on Feb 1, 2006, to prohibit, manufacture, sale and use of black polythene bags including polythene bags below 30 micron thickness in the province.

The ministry of environment has also proposed legislation to ban non-biodegradable bags and in their place encourage oxo-biodegradable bags. The private and public sector organisations, including utility stores, have been asked to introduce biodegradable bags.

The ministry has also recommended to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) that duty on import of oxo-biodegradable additive for the manufacturing of biodegradable bags be reduced from 6 to 0 per cent.

Polythene bags cause environmental pollution if solid waste containing these bags is not collected and disposed of properly. Leftover used plastic shoppers chock drainage system and create an unaesthetic view of environment. The practice of burning them produces dioxins and furans, which are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and extremely harmful to human and animal health.