Cabinet approves SRO to ban plastic bags in ICT: Amin Aslam

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Tuesday said the Federal Cabinet  approved  the Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) to ban plastic bags in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

"The federal capital would celebrate its freedom from polythene bags on August 14," he said.

Addressing to media persons during the cabinet briefing, the Adviser said the plastic bags had become a menace for  the society.

“Around 80 per cent of the drains across the country are choked due to plastic bags and are a potential cause of urban flooding and various diseases among the masses. Every city and village have the same issue where plastic bags are proliferating. It will remain in our ecosystem for 1000 years as polythene bags do not decompose,” he added.

Amin Aslam underscored that the legislation had been devises after thoroughly studying global models implemented to end plastic bags use.

“This [ban on plastic bags] has been practiced earlier in 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2013 but could not help to achieve the set targets due to lacunas in the legislation. However, this time we have taken the initiative from the federal capital and will whole heartedly enforce the law to get rid of plastic bags,” the Adviser said.

While stating the salient features of the SRO approved, he said this was the model being adopted across the world whereas the ban would be enforced in ICT. It would enable to impose a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lac on the manufacturers of plastic bags, the traders of polythene or plastic bags would be fined Rs 10,000 to Rs 50 lac and people found using it would have to pay a fine of Rs 5000, he noted.

“The magnitude of fine has been kept high to make the people realize that we want to get ourselves free from plastic bags,” Amin Aslam said. In 1990, he said 10 million bags were used per year in the country which had now reached to 55 billion bags per year at the moment.

The Adviser mentioned that the current population of the country was over 220 million where every individual was using 275 to 300 plastic bags per year.

“These bags are then submerged under the soil and dumped into the drains which consequently get into the sea. A global study revealed that if plastic bags are not avoided for use till 2050 then more plastic bags would be found in the sea instead of fish,” he added.

We [the ministry of climate change] were also offering alternates for plastic bags which were cotton bags and recyclable, reusable polypropylene plastic bag (which is biodegradable and decomposable), he said, adding, “The ministry has made 100,000 such bags which will be distributed free among the masses across the ICT.”

Amin said the nation would be made free from plastic bags with Clean Green Pakistan under the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision.

“Since the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf under the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership has started to make the country corruption free and clean green. For a clean and green Pakistan we need sustainable development which will be achieved,” he added.

Under the Clean Green idea of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said we were going to launch our monsoon plantation by the end of this month and it would continue for one and a half month. “Almost 140 million plants will be planted across the country during this monsoon plantation season whereas 400 events and activities would be held all over the country in this regard,” he infomred.

To a question, the Adviser told APP, that the ministry would launch an awareness campaign for two weeks across ICT to apprise the masses on ban to be imposed on plastic bags.