It’s been a couple of years since the use of plastic bags — which includes their sale and purchase — was banned by the government. However, looking around, one finds that the ban is far from being in place.

It has turned out to be a lot more challenging for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) than one would have thought, considering how the common people are used to consuming plastic shoppers and containers on a daily basis — whether they use it to wrap the roti from tandoor, or to put their grocery purchases in.

These bags are suitable for one-time use only, but people tend to reuse them, which increases health and environment hazards. Also, after using the plastic bags some people throw them away, which is how they land in sewer lines and choke them.

A senior EPD official claims that the government didn’t want to touch the plastic recycling sector, as businesses are already down due to the pandemic. “The government believes that this could create panic because people will be out of work,” he says, requesting anonymity.

“All that the government wishes to do is to create awareness among the citizens in order to discourage the use of plastic on a voluntary basis.”

The official says that the toxins, poisons and persistent pollutants present in some of the plastic products enter human bodies and may cause several diseases, including cancer.

Recently, the EPD held a meeting with stakeholders including scientists from various universities, to seek suggestions. The department is also said to have filed a civil miscellaneous petition (CMP) in court on polythene matters, after it failed to enforce the ban on all types of polythene bags ordered by the court.

In this connection, the WWF-Pakistan; UET, Lahore; the University of the Punjab; and PCSIR laboratories recently submitted a combined report with the EPD advising on development of biodegradable plastic bags/containers. They also suggested adding oxo-biodegradable additives in plastic bags for their early dissolution.

However, the scientist community is of the view that developing a new kind of plastic bag/container will take time as research is needed to develop an oxo-biodegradable item in harmony with the climate and atmosphere of the country.

EPA Director Naseemur Rehman says that head of the department of chemistry at LUMS has recommended the use of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags which comply with ASTN-D6954 standard. He says tests carried out in accordance with the ASTM-D6954 by internationally accredited labs, provided by the manufacturers of oxo-biodegradable additives, should be acceptable.

Aleem Ahmed of Shopping Bag Association (SBA) says that the closure of plastic recycling industry could render thousands of people jobless. According to him, the Polythene Bag Manufacturing Association (PBMA) has also conjoined the testing of oxo-biodegradable bags from international labs.

Dr Yasir Qayyum, an assistant professor at Polymer Department of the UET, believes that tests should be conducted on various samples considering all locally simulated conditions of temperature, humidity, soil, plant germination, crops, water etc.

Toxins, poisons and pollutants present in some plastic products enter human bodies and may cause several diseases including cancer. Recently, the EPD held a meeting with stakeholders including scientists from various universities, to seek suggestions. The department is also said to have filed a civil miscellaneous petition (CMP) in court on polythene matters.

The EPA director says that Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have prepared legislation on the use of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags. The federal government also legislated on oxo-biodegradable plastic bags, but after some time, the legislation was withdrawn. “The EPD drafted a legislation to raise the permitted thickness of plastic bags from 15 microns to 50 microns.”

Dr Basit Yameen, an associate professor at LUMS, is of the view that facilities are available to check whether the suppliers/manufacturers have mixed oxo-biodegradable additives in plastic shopping bags.

On the other hand, fruit and vegetable vendors as well as small convenience stores are fearlessly using plastic bags. Most of the shopkeepers claim that they cannot afford the high cost of jute or cotton bags. What’s more, the customers aren’t ready to pay extra for a shopping bag.

“If a customer walks into my shop and purchases an item worth Rs 20, how can I wrap that item in a bag which cost me Rs 40 or more,” says Hassan, a grocery shop owner. “So far, plastic bags are the only low-cost packing material available in the market.

“I remember that in my childhood my father would take a cotton bag to buy some grocery. Similarly, he’d use a cotton sheet to bring home the roti from tandoor,” says Zahid, a local citizen. He says that with the passage of time these homemade bags have been replaced by shopping bags which have become a part of our lives now.

Naseemur Rehman adds that the department is working to create awareness among the citizens to revive the tradition of bringing their own homemade cotton bags with them when they go shopping. However, he admits that a lot of time might be needed to revive the good old traditions.

The writer is a senior reporter at The News