RAWALPINDI, Aug 2: The Ministry of Environment will launch a countrywide campaign next month to reduce the usage of plastic bags which wreck the environment.

A senior official of the ministry told Dawn that arrangements were being finalised to launch the campaign under the slogan: “Say no to plastic bags as far as possible”.

There is a dire need of realisation among the people about the use of plastic bags which have become an environmental plaque, he said.

The campaign is likely to coincide with this year’s United Nations-backed “Clean Up the World Weekend” (September 15-17), the flagship event of an annual campaign that mobilises over 30 million volunteers globally to conserve the environment.

The campaign will be launched under the Activity Based Campaign Development (ABCD) project, and to make it successful, the ministry will seek support of provincial governments, local governments, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, media and traders all over the country.

The official said the government had decided to increase the thickness of plastic bags to 20 microns. The aim is to increase the economic value of plastic bags as well as making its usage minimum.

In this connection, the Punjab government has already issued a notification, while provinces of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan are in the process to issuing such directives.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has proposed a ban on bags less than 30 microns thick and levy on thicker ones aimed at reducing the use of polythene bags.

Many countries around the world have banned use of plastic bags, while some have imposed levy or surcharge on bags provided by stores. However, no such rule exists in Pakistan.

The official said no data was available on the number of plastic bags being produced in the country because these were produced in cottage industries mainly in NWFP, and the government had no record of such cottage industries.

According to rough estimates, more than 2,500,000 people are associated with this industry, the official said.

About 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year, according to a study.