MoU to raise awareness of plastic pollution

LAHORE

WWF-Pakistan signed an MoU with Business Dynamics-D2W at its head office today to raise awareness of threats posed by conventional plastics, engage public and private sectors to reduce plastic pollution and to promote the use of biodegradable alternatives.

An additive known as D2W can be added to plastics in small amounts to make them biodegradable, officials said adding Business Dynamics-D2W, a leading distributor of biodegradable plastics, has spearheaded efforts to phase out the use of non-degradable plastic bags at major wholesale and retail outlets in the country. WWF-Pakistan with its wide outreach hopes to convince the corporate sector to address environment sustainability and aims to promote the use of biodegradable plastic, WWF-Pakistan officials said, adding plastic waste poses a myriad of health and environmental concerns in the urban centres of Pakistan. Plastic bags end up clogging storm water and sewerage drains, which are then unable to function properly in congested urban areas especially during the monsoon season. The accumulation of water creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes leading to the spread of vector borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and cholera. The mixing of rainwater and sewerage water also causes contamination of groundwater reserves which are a major source of drinking water in Pakistan.