The Sindh government has decided to enforce a comprehensive ban on the production, sale, and use of plastic bags throughout the province, including Karachi.
The Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Coastal Development has announced that a ban on plastic bags will start from June 15. This ban includes all non-degradable, oxo-degradable, black, and recycled plastic bags. Only environmentally friendly bags will be allowed in the market.
Environment Secretary Agha Shah Nawaz said the department will strictly enforce the ban and follow a zero-tolerance policy. He explained that plastic bags are a major cause of environmental harm and this ban is serious, not just a statement.
Anyone who breaks the ban will face strict legal action. The goal is to fully enforce this rule across the Sindh province.
Earlier, Senator Sherry Rehman, who heads the Senate committee on climate change, shared on World Plastic Bag Free Day that Pakistan uses 55 billion plastic bags every year, and that number keeps growing by about 15 percent annually. She urged people in Pakistan to think about how harmful plastic bags are for the environment. She said plastic bags pollute water, litter the land, and hurt both people and animals.
“Polythene bags take hundreds of years to decompose and their accumulation poses serious risks to the environment and health. All our small and big cities face major challenges in waste management,” she said.
