ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first ever research study for plastic waste management, conducted by WWF-Pakistan with support of the Coca-Cola Foundation, was launched during a special ceremony on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul was the chief guest.

This scoping study report is the outcome of a joint effort by WWF-Pakistan and Coca-Cola to map out Pakistan’s current plastic waste generation and management supply chain.

It also identifies current perceptions and opinions of key stakeholders with regards to plastic waste generation, segregation, collection and disposal.

These include the informal sector comprising scavengers, junk dealers and recyclers; the formal waste collectors such as public and private waste management companies; the commercial sector comprising hotels, educational institutes, restaurants; and household consumers of plastic bottles.

Data was collected through interviews and survey questionnaires to analyse consumption, collection, disposal and recycling patterns of plastic bottles in ten selected cities across Pakistan.

These included Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gilgit, Murree, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad.

This informative research aimed at guiding government and environmentalists in policy planning, to address the issue of plastic waste management effectively.

The study encourages plastic bottles recycling as an effective solution to tackling Pakistan’s plastic waste pollution and also helps create a circular economy of reusable plastic.

Addressing on the occasion, State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said this was the first time a corporate had conducted a formal research related to sustainable practices and showed commitment towards its responsibility for the environment.

“I completely endorse their ambition for this cause. To tackle the issue of plastic waste management it is essential that all stakeholders work together and come up with such innovative solutions,” she said.

While highlighting the importance of this report, CEO at WWF-Pakistan Hammad Naqi Khan, said: “Roughly eight million tons of plastics are dumped in the oceans every year. It is reported that if no action is taken, there could be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050. We need urgent action to stop the leakage of plastics into all water bodies. There is a dire need to formalize plastic recycling and bridge the gap between distributors and recyclers ensuring products are manufactured from responsibly sourced materials.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2020