ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Minister for Environment Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat has informed the National Assembly that there was complete ban on the use of polythene bags in the country but failed to explain why the product was still in excessive use among the public.

In a written reply to a question asked by Dr Farid Ahmad Piracha during the ongoing session of the lower house, the minister said the government had imposed complete ban on the use of plastic shopping bags under a prime minister secretariat order dated 22-02-1997.

Taking lead the Sindh government imposed a ban on the production, sale, purchase and use of black polythene bags from August 26, 1994, the minister said in a detailed response to the question.

A similar ban was imposed by the Punjab Environment Protection Department from June 5, 1995. The Balochistan government promulgated an ordinance on February 19, 2001 called “prohibiting sale and use of polythene bags”, the environment minister said.

Similarly, the department of industries, NWFP, has also banned the production of polythene bags within the boundaries of the province.

To effectively address the issue, the latest intervention is the proposed nation wide campaign against the use and production of plastic bags, the minister said, adding that the activity had been planned by the National Environment Action Plan and was currently under the consideration of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec).

Used plastic bags are the main reason behind the choking of sewerage and open drainage system, spoiling sanitation systems and creating an overall unaesthetic view of the environment. Plastic bags are extensively used in cities, and one common thing which urban life of today shares all around the country is the littering of polythene bags of various colours.

People in routine burn them on street sides at dumpsites which produces dioxins and furans which are inhaled by human beings.

Both dioxins and furans are considered very toxic to human system and responsible for producing serious diseases. Under universally accepted international requirements, dioxins and furans are required to be absolutely absent in the air.

Because of polyethylene being non-degradable in nature, plastic bags continue to be present in the environment and contribute their undesirable impacts for an extended period.

Plastic bags are liked for a number of reasons such as low weight, durability, convenience in packing food stuff and other multifarious items besides no cost to the end-users i.e. customers. At one side they are used extensively in day to day life due to their multiple advantages, but the same time people do not dispose them properly.

An official from the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pepa), who requested not to be named, said it was more an economic issue than an environmental.

“You will never see a polythene bag of the thickness of 30- micron or more because normally people keep them for reuse, and secondly scavengers pick them immediately due to their economic value,” he said.

The main problem is of thin white and black plastic bags. Plastic bags of 30-micron thickness are allowed, the official said.

There is another argument that thousands of people are attached with this business, and the government must offer them some kind of alternative before forcing businessmen concerned to switch over to some other business, he said.