EPA identifies three collection points of consumed plastic bags

ISLAMABAD

To thwart environmental pollution, plastic bags manufacturers and importers identified three collection points of consumed plastic bags for the general public in Islamabad under the extended producer responsibility.

Chaudhry Plaza, Med Life Services, N-5, beside Islamabad Bus Terminal, Peshawar Road, and Plot# 74, Industrial Area, Islamabad have been fixed as drop-off points for people who wished to deposit discarded polythene bags for recycling, said Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Director Sadia Munawar.

Munawar said that as per the extended producer responsibility collection, segregation, disinfection, transportation, and recycling were the responsibility of polythene bags manufacturers.

She said EPA imposed a ban on plastic bag manufacturing and selling in 2019 except for industrial and primary packing, municipal, hospital, and hazardous waste.

“Corporate authorities are supposed to submit a proper recycling plan of used polythene bags that how they would collect plastic bags from garbage and recycle it to avoid pollution,” she appraised.

She further said the corporate entities would have to pay a Rs10,000 fee to EPA to receive authorization along with a recycling plan to avail the facility.

The EPA officer urged the denizens of Islamabad that people should deposit their discarded polythene waste at the aforementioned collection points and played their role to make Islamabad a plastic bag free city.