Collective Efforts Needed To Explore Sustainable Alternatives To Plastic Consumption: Experts

News Desk

Peshawar: Environmentalists have urged their countrymen to take collective action to reduce reliance on single-use plastic, support policies promoting sustainable practices, engage in community-driven initiatives, and advocate for systemic changes.

Every year 55 billion plastic bags are used and the rate is increasing drastically by 15 percent annually: IoU Dr Ejaz Ahmad

Speaking at a discussion titled ‘Reducing Plastic Waste for a Livable Urban Future in Pakistan’, Institute of Urbanism (IoU) Senior Program Fellow Dr Ejaz Ahmad said that according to research, every year 55 billion plastic bags are used and the rate is increasing drastically by 15 percent annually. We need to come up with certain solutions to address this grave issue, he added.

The event was held on a Twitter space jointly organised by the Institute of Urbanism (IoU) and School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF) with the support of the US Embassy; and aimed to raise awareness, foster dialogue, and identify effective strategies for reducing plastic waste and creating liveable urban spaces.

We need more coordination amongst all the stakeholders involved to truly combat the issue of plastic pollution: Pak-EPA DG

Speaking about ways to combat plastic pollution, Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director General Farzana Altaf Shah emphasized the importance of initiating public-private partnerships to bring about impactful change.

“We need more coordination amongst all the stakeholders involved to truly combat the issue of plastic pollution,” Farzana emphasized.

SoLF Managing Director Mariyam Irfan highlighted the role that society can play in reshaping waste practices in urban areas and stated that the involvement of young people in youth groups is very important.

“We need to focus on raising awareness, and what better way than by utilizing the youth population to spread the message,” Mariyam further stated.

We need to focus on raising awareness, and what better way than by utilizing the youth population to spread the message: SoLF Mariyam

Talking about major industries involved in plastic pollution, WWF-Pakistan Climate and Energy Senior Manager Nazifa Butt mentioned that all the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), food and beverage industries, and textile sectors are plastic producers as well as major contributors to the percentage of plastic waste in our waste generation.

Nazifa Butt further shared that we cannot fully eliminate plastic from our lives, but it’s good to see that these big companies have launched pilot projects focused on plastic recycling, adding that the government needs to set out a clear path for these companies to get substantial results from these schemes.

We cannot fully eliminate plastic from our lives, but it’s good to see that these big companies have launched pilot projects focused on plastic recycling:Nazifa Butt

Senior Environmentalist Mome Saleem stated that the government of Pakistan’s Green Youth Movement (GYM) program sounds like a commendable initiative. Under the initiative, 137 GYM Clubs are established in different universities as a widespread commitment to environmental conservation and youth engagement to make cities plastic-free, she added.