This year on August 14, Pakistan became the 128th country in the world to have (partially) banned single-time-use polythene bags. The ban, for now, has been implemented in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The plan is to extend the ban to the provinces, according to advisor to Prime Minister for climate change and environment protection, Malik Amin. The federal government has announced a blanket ban on the use of polythene shopping bags and started a public awareness campaign urging people to use biodegradable bags - including paper, cotton and jute.

The ongoing public awareness campaign by the government to stop the consumption of one-time-use polythene bags has generated a lot of buzz in Islamabad.

The decision has been largely welcomed with a majority of the people fully supporting the ban to save their environment. Those who are unaware of various aspects of the issue or are not prepared to change their habits are seen arguing with shopkeepers, demanding plastic bags for the purchased items.

According to the Ban on (Manufacturing, Import, Sale, Purchase, Storage and Usage) Polythene Bag Regulations 2019, there is a complete ban on making, buying or selling, and using single-use polythene bags in the ICT. However, permission has been granted for the use of large-sized polythene bags for dustbins and waste disposal. Under the law, the organisations wishing to use polythene flat bags will have to pay a Rs 10,000 fee. While any manufacturer, importer or wholesaler found supplying polythene bags will be fined a sum ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 500,000. A shopkeeper or hawker violating the regulation will be fined Rs 10,000 for the first time. The fine may go up to Rs 50,000 for repeated violations.

Twenty eight-year-old Ali Sher Baloch is all praise for the ban on one-time-use plastic bags in Islamabad. "Some weeks ago, our street was always littered with plastic shopping bags, at times thrown into the drains. Now, I see quite an improvement. Our street looks clean," he says. "This decision will make sure our sewerage system does not get choked." Baloch, a boatman in Rawal Lake, who lives in Bani Gala - the constituency of Prime Minister Imran Khan, urges the government to strictly implement this law and also focus on plastic bags used for packing eatables like bread and chips.

The federal government’s ban on plastic and polythene shopping bags has not yet been fully implemented but in many markets, The News on Sunday noticed shopkeepers urging customers to bring alternatives to plastic bags. "It is a good decision but the real issue is educating people about alternatives, and ensuring a reliable supply of alternatives in the market to facilitate customers," says Muhammad Imran, a poultry seller in Aabpara Market.

The use of non-degradable plastic is quite high in Pakistan. Although there is no official data about use of plastic bags in Islamabad, a previous report of the Punjab Environment Protection Department states that around 55 billion plastic bags are used annually in Pakistan with a 15 percent increase in use every year. The average production of polythene bags is 250 to 500 kilogram per day. Globally, around five trillion plastic bags are consumed every year.

Director general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Farzana Altaf, who is among the leading officials to run this awareness campaign, says the agency, in collaboration with other departments, has formed various teams to inspect markets to disseminate information about the law and monitor implementation. "Since the ban, we have lifted tons of polythene bags from various malls and markets," she says. "Awareness is needed among the people about the harms and the bad impact of the use of polythene bags. People should understand that it is a serious health issue and we have to move towards alternatives, which are quite simple. We just need to go back to the old ways and tradition and use cloth and papers bags. We need to do what our elders used to do in the past for bringing groceries and other day-to-day items. We have to promote that old culture," she says.

Regarding the effectiveness of this ban in the ICT, she says firm enforcement of the law is a must. "We are also working to engage the provinces in this matter. We hope that a similar ban will be imposed in the Punjab soon," says the federal government official. She says monitoring teams will soon be deputed on entrances to the capital city. People will be unable to bring these bags to the city. "These teams will spread awareness and randomly check vehicles to ensure implementation of the law in the jurisdiction of the ICT."

Many civil society organisations and groups are promoting alternatives at different levels in the wake of the ban. They are motivating and encouraging people to use cloth and jute bags, and plastic baskets instead of polythene bags.

At a market in F-6 Sector, a vegetable and fruit seller says they used to throw away plastic vegetable and fruit baskets and containers. Since this ban they are selling up to 200 such baskets daily to people not bringing alternatives with them. "Now we are encouraging them to get these baskets and keep them in their cars and use them for carrying groceries," says Gul Zaman Khan, a vendor. This is a good alternative. We are compelled to do this because if we violate the law monitoring teams can raid any time and fine us," he says. Recently, he says, a nearby departmental store was fined Rs 40,000 for using plastic bags.

The embassies of European countries which have banned polythene bags in their countries are also helping in the awareness campaign. The staff of German Mission in Islamabad, in order to help the government implement this initiative, distributed cloth bags among citizens as an alternative to polythene shopping bags. "It is important to raise people’s awareness to avoid plastic for the sake of our environment. Reuse is the only solution," the German Embassy has tweeted.

However, this ban has hurt plastic bag sellers. Last week, they held a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club and urged the government to lift the ban and change the law. They were holding placards with anti-government slogans. In their statement, they said the ban will affect production and ultimately, their revenue and employment.

Provincial governments of the Punjab and Sindh are gearing up for a similar ban likely to be introduced initially in big cities. Sindh government is considering to impose a similar ban in Karachi within weeks. A few days ago Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah launched a social media drive - Say no to plastic bags. He directed the authorities to encourage the masses to use paper or cloth bags instead of plastic. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has also vowed to ban the use of polythene bags in the province in near future.

While similar bans have been announced on plastic bags use in Sindh, the Punjab and Balochistan in the past, these could not be enforced.  In January, Peshawar’s local administration announced a ban on the use of plastic shopping bags in megamalls and medical stores because they choked drains resulting in poor sanitation and water-borne diseases.

In Hunza, the government with the help of civil society, announced a ban in April on the use of plastic bags. The authorities have also made the use, export, import or purchase of plastic bags a punishable offence. However, according to some visitors, enforcement remains a challenge. They say while plastic bags are not openly displayed and used in the market, they are being used secretly, indicating that changing social habits is a huge task.

Earlier, a 2013 regulation allowed ox-degradable (dissolvable) plastic bags but later it became knows that such bags do not dissolve fully. 

In pursuit of a dumping site

The purpose-built capital city of the country - Islamabad - established six decades ago still lacks a well-planned solid waste management system. Almost a year ago, local authorities, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), decided to make a purpose-built landfill site to dump garbage produced by the city’s over-two-million population.

Around 700 metric ton garbage is being collected from various areas of the federal capital on a daily basis and being disposed of at a temporary dumping site in I-12 Sector. However, the residents are quite unhappy with the solid waste management system of the city. "This is so unfortunate that a planned city like Islamabad lacks municipal management, particularly solid waste disposal," says Aneeq Akhtar, a resident of G-7 Sector. "The CDA, the civic body responsible for managing the city, unfortunately is more focused on real estate management than developing the city."

According to Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, for the first time, outsourcing of the solid waste collection is being considered in order to ensure cleanliness in the federal capital. The MCI staff, like local governments of other cities, is responsible for waste management in the city but according to the mayor it is overburdened.

Previously, the CDA was responsible for waste collection. Following the setting up of local government system in Islamabad in early 2016 after the November 2015 Local Government Elections, the duties of sanitation and waste management were transferred to the MCI. However, according to some officials, a power struggle is going on between the CDA and the MCI to run the system. This tussle has affected the functioning of the system, an official of the CDA tells The News on Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

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Various proposals have been made for the establishment of a garbage dumping site in the capital city. But the waste is still being dumped in a temporary dumping site in I-12 Sector for the past several years. Earlier, it was being dumped in H-12 Sector.

Last year, the MCI identified a place near Sangjani to set up a landfill site on a permanent basis but progress on its development has been slow. "We are working on the project and focusing on funds after removing hiccups that affect it," the mayor says.

CDA Sanitation Director Sardar Khan Zimri says there are also plans for setting up permanent dumping sites and removal of slums in some sectors. He says the landfill site plan still lacks funds. The average waste of Islamabad is around 750-800 metric tons per day. The proposed site spreads over 70 acres and has been selected in view of a suitable topography.