POLYTHENE bags are such an essential part of life that no government ban or public awareness campaign has so far hurt their popularity. From disposing garbage to delivering food, single-use plastics are a ‘necessity’ one can’t seem to do without. A report in this paper has lamented the prolific use of polythene bags in Islamabad, despite a ban on the manufacture of single-use plastics enforced in September 2019 by the Imran Khan government. This decision was emulated by the Sindh government in October 2019, while similar directives were issued by the Lahore High Court in February 2020. These were just some of the more recent attempts by the authorities to discourage the use of polythene bags; over the years, successive governments have made efforts to forbid their use, but have failed to go beyond issuing orders.

According to the Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers Association, some 55bn single-use plastics bags are used in the country every year. Some estimates suggest that the number may be as high as 100bn. That repeated bans have not worked is a tell-tale sign that the authorities find it difficult to enforce them for a host of reasons, ranging from the shortage of municipal staff needed to ensure that the orders are implemented to the unwillingness of the public that knows of no alternative. The latter point is an important one, and the authorities should realise that simply banning an item, even if it is hazardous to human and environmental health, is not enough and that effective substitutes must be introduced and promoted. So far, there appears to be no workable solution to this problem, as the large-scale production of paper bags would quickly consume whatever remains of the forests in the country. One way to deal with this problem would be to provide incentives to small businesses and restaurants to follow environment-friendly guidelines, and plastic manufacturers to set up recycling plants. This is a problem that requires an innovative solution rather than an ineffective ban.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2022