ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Environment Protection Agency on Thursday showcased green benches and planters made from confiscated plastic bags.

“We are offering people to turn in environmentally hazardous single use polythene bags and we will make benches from them,” said Pak-EPA Director Labs Dr Zaigham Abbas at a press briefing here.

“Launching of Green Bench was an initiative of Pak-EPA responsible for implementation of Single-Use Plastics (Prohibition) Regulations in Islamabad. Pak-EPA confiscated polythene bags from violators of these regulations,” he added.

“Now Pak EPA has successfully taken an initiative to convert these confiscated polythene bags into green benches and green planters,” Pak-EPA Director General Farzana Altaf Shah told the media.

The heat and water resistant bench on display at Pak-EPA was made from 50kg confiscated plastic bags.

The planter was made from eight to 10 kg single use plastic bags. Four benches and planters each were made from confiscated plastic.

Vowing to make Islamabad plastic free, Ms Shah said her office was on a mission to make all educational institutions plastic free.

“Green benches and planters, only few of the items made from plastic, will be installed in hospitals and parliament also,” she said.

“How good it would be if the election campaigners also talked about a plastic-free society,” she said, emphasising on the need to change attitudes.

“Countries around the world are abandoning plastic at this time. We have to take some steps to save our resources. A warning has been issued to hotels. A Rs2 million fine will be imposed on the plastic manufacturer and importer in the next two months,” she said.

She also said her office was endeavouring to prevent plastic bags from coming into Islamabad. Checking will be done at entry points only. “This is the campaign that will reduce the health budget of people,” she said.

Pak-EPA said plastics have catastrophic effects on human health, environment and endangered marine life. To effectively address the plastic issues particularly excessive use of single-use polythene bags in the country, as a first step, Pak-EPA imposed a ban on polythene bags, its manufacture, import, sale, purchase, storage and usage in Islamabad under Polythene Bags Regulations on August 14, 2019.

Later, Pak-EPA initiated an exhaustive consultative process with the line ministries, provincial environment departments, ICT administration, industries and other relevant stakeholders for developing Single-Use Plastics (Prohibition) Regulations 2023 as well as restriction on use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in federal ministries/divisions.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024