ave you ever wondered why, whenever we walk through the streets and markets of Pakistan, we are struck by an overwhelming sense of filth and neglect? Dust and grime seem to be our constant companions. It is rare to return home without feeling coated in a layer of dirt. Why is this the case? The signs of environmental neglect are everywhere: shopping bags flutter like flags on streets and fields, clinging to trees and clogging drains. If one does not live in a well-planned urban society, one is quite likely to frequently encounter rubbish dumps and unmanaged landfills. These piles of refuse are frequently set on fire, releasing toxic fumes. This waste management crisis compounds the pollution and public health issues we already face. Apart from a few pockets of cleanliness, this condition plagues nearly every part of the country.

Do we, as a nation, harbour an aversion to cleanliness? Even though a majority of Pakistanis believes that cleanliness is half of the faith, we hold a dubious distinction. On a global index measuring environmental performance, air quality, water resources and climate change mitigation called environmental performance index (EPI), Pakistan ranks a shocking 178th out of 180 countries. While nations like Estonia and Luxembourg thrive with high environmental standards, we are trapped in a cycle of neglect that threatens our quality of life. If we do not take immediate and transformative action, we risk not only the degradation of our environment but also the health, dignity and future of our nation.

The EPI is developed through a systematic approach that assigns weights to various policy objectives and issue categories to comprehensively measure a country’s environmental performance. The index is structured around three primary policy objectives: ecosystem vitality (45 percent), environmental health (25 perccent), and climate change (30 oercent). Each policy objective is broken down into specific issue categories, each of which contributes a proportion of the overall weighting. For instance, within ecosystem vitality, issue categories such as biodiversity and habitat and forests are assigned weights of 25 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. Each issue category is measured through a series of indicators, to reflect the relative importance of different environmental aspects.

Globally, plastic waste constitutes a substantial portion of environmental pollution, impacting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In marine environments, plastics make up approximately 80 per cent of all pollution, with an estimated 8 to 10 million metric tonnes entering the oceans each year. This pervasive plastic debris poses severe threats to marine life, affecting biodiversity and disrupting ecosystems. On land, plastics represent about 12 per cent of municipal solid waste streams worldwide. Most of this plastic waste ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed of, contributing to environmental contamination, soil degradation and posing health risks to humans and wildlife. These statistics highlight the urgent need for global cooperation and effective waste management strategies to mitigate the growing impact of plastic pollution.

In Pakistan, the situation is dire. The country generates over 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. A significant portion of this is mismanaged leading to widespread environmental degradation. In urban areas, plastic waste constitutes approximately 65 per cent of total waste. It is frequently discarded in landfills or dumped improperly, exacerbating pollution levels. The prevalence of plastic bags and debris in streets and water bodies disrupts ecosystems, harms wildlife and threatens public health. Burning of plastic waste in open areas releases toxic fumes, contributing to air pollution and respiratory illnesses. Such plastic waste management undermines Pakistan’s efforts to achieve its climate goals and protect the environment, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive policies, public awareness and sustainable alternatives to reduce plastic pollution.

Pakistan’s efforts to curb single-use plastic bags have been marked by comprehensive federal and provincial regulations. However, enforcement remains a persistent challenge. At the federal level, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Ban on Polythene Bags Regulations, 2019 banned the manufacture, import, sale, and use of polythene bags in Islamabad Capital Territory in 2019, with limited exemptions for industrial and medical uses. The Single-Use Plastics (Prohibition) Regulations, 2023 followed with a phased approach, prohibiting various plastic items like polythene bags and plastic crockery. Despite widespread public awareness (56 percent of surveyed households), enforcement has been weak, with over 60 per cent of household waste still consisting of polythene bags and 30 percent comprising plastic bottles. The lack of rigorous enforcement by Environment Protection Agencys, inadequate resources and an over-reliance on awareness campaigns have undermined the effectiveness of these bans.

Provincial governments have also enacted similar regulations with varying levels of success. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a ban on polythene bags was announced in 2024, with enforcement planned after a grace period. Sindh has attempted to enforce bans multiple times, including a major initiative in 2022, but these efforts have largely failed due to poor coordination and resource limitations. A renewed attempt in 2024 by the Sindh EPA had limited success. Balochistan imposed a ban in 2020 in Quetta, with fines ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 500,000, but faced similar challenges in execution.

The primary reason these bans have failed is the gap between policy and enforcement. Weak implementation mechanisms, lack of viable alternatives, insufficient financial resources and limited capacity of regulatory agencies have hindered success. While public awareness and willingness to reduce plastic use are evident, these efforts cannot achieve long-term impact without consistent enforcement and structural support.

A vast body of literature has documented the frequent failures of public policy in achieving environmental goals, highlighting the need for alternative approaches such as behavioural nudging. Recognising this gap, researchers at COMSATS University undertook a World Bank-funded project to explore the effectiveness of enforcement and behavioural nudging strategies in reducing single-use plastic bag use in retail markets.

In the first phase, focusing on retailer-directed interventions, enforcement measures led to a reduction of 4.48 percentage points in the SUPB use. When enforcement was combined with behavioural interventions, such as informational and religious nudges, the reduction increased to 4.77 percentage points. Informational and religious nudges alone resulted in a reduction of 2.65 percentage points. Religious nudges alone led to a decrease of 1.17 percentage points.

In the second phase, which targeted customer-directed interventions, behavioural nudges proved effective even without enforcement. Informational and religious nudges together reduced SUPB usage by 3.38 percentage points, while religious nudges alone achieved a reduction of 1.91 percentage points. When behavioural nudges were combined with enforcement, the reduction reached 5.38 percentage points. These findings show that while enforcement is effective for retailers, customer-directed behavioural nudges can yield even greater reductions when combined with enforcement, offering a comprehensive approach for reducing plastic pollution.

Despite government efforts to combat plastic pollution through bans, enforcement measures and behavioural nudges, achieving a 5-10 per cent reduction in single-use plastic bags and other types of plastic waste may still fall short of addressing the scale of the problem. The annual increase in plastic production and waste generation continues to outpace these modest reductions, exacerbating environmental contamination and pollution levels. Given this ever-growing volume, long-term solutions cannot rely solely on policy and behavioural changes. A lasting and impactful resolution lies in a technological breakthrough—developing alternatives that are as inexpensive, lightweight and as durable as plastics, yet environmentally sustainable. Only such innovation can provide a scalable solution to the global plastic crisis and achieve meaningful, lasting reductions in plastic pollution.

Recent research into alternatives for single-use plastic bags (SUPBs) has identified some potential breakthroughs. Innovations include biodegradable materials like seaweed-based plastics, which decompose faster than traditional plastics. Companies such as Sway are developing seaweed-derived bioplastics that aim to replace conventional packaging. Additionally, researchers are exploring biological degradation methods: plastic-eating fungi identified in Germany and mealworm larvae in Kenya capable of digesting polystyrene offer new avenues for reducing plastic waste.

These advancements, combined with policy measures like plastic bag bans, represent a multifaceted approach to mitigating plastic pollution. Seaweed-based and cornstarch-derived bioplastics provide lightweight, durable and cost-effective alternatives. Materials like hemp and jute offer reusable solutions, albeit at higher costs. Despite this progress, achieving an ideal balance of affordability, durability and decomposition efficiency remains a challenge. Continuous research and development are crucial to discovering universally applicable alternatives that can effectively replace SUPBs and reduce their environmental footprint.

Dr Rafi Amir-ud-Din is a tenured associate professor and head of the Department of Economics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus