ISLAMABAD: The ban on the use of plastic bags in the capital is being violated as manufacturers based in Punjab continue its supply with impunity.

“The Pakistan Environment Protection Agency has filed cases in environmental tribunals against such manufacturers who continue to sell plastic bags to wholesalers knowing it is against the law,” an official in the Ministry of Climate Change told Dawn.

The official said the government of Punjab had drafted a law for banning single use plastic shopping bags. But the status of the draft law is not clear, he said.

Vegetable and fruit sellers, pushcart vendors and shopkeepers in small markets in all sectors continue to package items in plastic bags, he said.

It is particularly difficult to bring pushcart vendors under the ambit of the new law to prohibit the use of plastic bags, the official said, explaining: “They do not have associations that the government can negotiate with.”

While branded shops and outlets in high end malls have started complying with the ban by wrapping their products for buyers in paper bags or bags made from fabrics, small markets continue to present a challenge.

The Pakistan Environment Protection Agency has started fining shopkeepers, wholesalers and other venders selling single use plastic bags. Except two or three wholesalers, all those fined for violating the law have submitted the fines.

The law banning plastic bags also includes a ban on plastic being used by companies to package their products. Bread, biscuits and so many other food items, including non-food items such as detergents, and other types of household items continue to be packaged in single use plastics that are equally hazardous to the environment and health of the people.

“In the next phase, the Ministry of Climate Change will also engage manufacturers of various food and household items to ensure their products in biodegradable packaging,” he said.

Pak-EPA Director General Farzana Altaf Shah told Dawn that the government was enforcing the law by conducting raids on shops and manufacturing facilities of plastic bags.

“What we need now is the support of people who should change their behaviour by using paper and bags made from fabrics,” she said.

“People also continue to carry hot food in plastic bags without realising its health hazards. Nowhere in the developed world is it allowed to carry warm food in plastic bags. The government can do so much and provide guiding principles. It is imperative that people start using bags made from other materials except plastic.”

She said single use plastic bags can be eliminated when there was no demand for them.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2019