The Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is working to make the capital a plastic-bag-free city, and has approved the production of plastic bags for select industries in order to prevent plastic pollution through limited usage, recycling, and proper disposal.
According to EPA Deputy Director Sadia Munawar, the EPA placed a corporate extended obligation on designated plastic bag users and manufacturers since the users were required to recycle the used plastic bags.
She stated that business officials or entities will be required to pay a charge of PKR 10,000 to the EPA in order to acquire authorization and a recycling plan in order to use the service.
She highlighted the measures taken in Islamabad to combat plastic pollution, saying that shopkeepers have been fined PKR 210, 000 and the Agency has confiscated up to 200 kg of plastic bags since the beginning of the year, as the manufacturing, selling, and distribution of plastic bags has been prohibited in the capital since 2019.
She further stated, “We have comprised four inspection teams which pay weekly surprise visits in markets and striving every nerve to make Islamabad a plastic bags free city as we have seized thousands of plastic bags and imposed fines of PKR 560,000 to the violators in 2021.”
