Using a plastic bag in Peshawar could cost you Rs5m

The purchase, sale and manufacturing of plastic bags now carries a hefty fine in Peshawar. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is beginning a crackdown against plastic bags in the city starting Monday. 

The fine can range anywhere from Rs50,000 to Rs5 million and can be coupled with a three-year imprisonment.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan ordered a crackdown against polythene bags across the province, calling them an “environmental enemy”.

The government had previously told manufacturers and shopkeepers to make and use bags of environmentally friendly material.

Related: Lahore swaps plastic bags with tote bags in Ramazan bazaars

In March, the KP government banned plastic bags weighing less than 50 micron. It noted that shopping bags other than biodegradable ones would not be acceptable.

Hunza recently became the first plastic-free district in the country and Asia. The government is hoping to replicate the success of this plastic ban in other districts as well.

In Karachi, the CBC has banned the use of plastic bags as well, especially at shops. Shopkeepers are now using paper bags or cloth totes. In Lahore, tote bags are being used at Ramazan bazaars too. The government has banned plastic bags at these bazaars.

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Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/environment/2019/05/using-a-plastic-bag-in-peshawar-could-cost-you-rs5m/