KARACHI: With most segments of society welcoming the ban imposed by the Sindh government on plastic bags across the province, experts, however, have raised concerns over the government’s decision to allow use of oxobiodegradable (OBD) plastic bags, it emerged on Tuesday.

Dr Kauser Ali Syed, head of the Department of Polymer and Petrochemical at the NED University of Engineering and Technology, is happy about the ban, but also perturbed that OBD plastic bags would be allowed.

“I am happy they have increased the weight and size of the bags to be manufactured to 30 microns, although I’d have been happier if it had been increased to up to 40 microns. It means people will reuse them multiple times and not throw them away,” he said, adding: “But my concern is OBD plastic, which remains disputable, as these bags will break into smaller pieces which then cannot be recycled.”

CM’s adviser says they are a ‘lesser evil’ than non-degradable plastic

The same concerns were echoed by Islamabad-based scientist Dr Meher Nigar, who has a research experience of over 12 years in plastic products.

The fact that OBD plastic bags will turn into shreds is what is of concern. “OBD plastic will only encourage littering and the three Rs of waste — reduce, recycle and reuse — will not be achieved. People will assume it will disintegrate and so will throw more,” she said.

According to Dr Nigar, OBD plastic is dependent on oxygen and ultraviolet heat if it has to break into fragments. “If either one is missing the technology will not work and the thicker the plastic, the less chances of oxygen penetrating and breaking the plastic chain.”

In addition, the biodegradation process slows down in cold weather, high humidity virtually putting a stop to it.

Naeem Mughal, director general of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, allayed the concerns of the two academics.

“Nothing has been proved conclusively. In fact, from what I have read, these plastic bits are food for microorganisms. And if it had such a bad rap would it be used in India, Thailand, UAE and even Saudi Arabia?” he asked.

Murtaza Wahab, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on climate change and environment, was also familiar with the controversy around the OBD. But he said the government was bound by the law which allowed use of additives in plastic to “shred” it into smaller pieces so that the plastic waste can be “better managed”.

He termed it a “lesser evil” than the non-degradable plastic that lived for hundreds of years and did not disintegrate.

But could the law not have been amended before enforcing the ban and the OBD taken out?

“Since research on the detriments of OBD remains inconclusive, we believe we can start the process of reducing plastic from our cities without taking the drastic step of affecting the livelihoods of so many people attached to plastic manufacturing, because that would have been the other alternative — a complete ban on its manufacture,” said the adviser.

Interestingly, the use of OBD plastic bags has been banished from the Islamabad Capital Territory and Punjab, now that the ill effects have been apparent.

“Back in 2013, when the government started legislating to regulate use of plastic bags, OBD plastic was considered good for the environment, and Sindh, Balochistan and KP adopted it,” explained Hammad Shamimi, senior joint secretary with the ministry of climate change.

There is no doubt in his mind that OBD plastic is bad for the people and the environment.

“We’ve had very thorough discussions with the scientist community and academia. While it is still easier to collect non-biodegradable plastic, these microplastics will go into the soil, water bodies, taken by grazing animals, find their way into our bodies even,” said Mr Shamimi.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2019