KARACHI, May 29 (APP):The Director General Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Waqar Hussain Phulpoto on Thursday clarified that the Sindh government has imposed a complete ban only on plastic shopping bags—the type commonly used for daily purchases and typically discarded after a single use. He said there is a misconception among industrial stakeholders and the general public that all plastic products have been banned, which is not right. "The ban …
DG SEPA clarifies ban applies only on plastic shopping bags, not all plastic products
KARACHI, May 29 (APP):The Director General Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Waqar Hussain Phulpoto on Thursday clarified that the Sindh government has imposed a complete ban only on plastic shopping bags—the type commonly used for daily purchases and typically discarded after a single use.
He said there is a misconception among industrial stakeholders and the general public that all plastic products have been banned, which is not right. “The ban applies exclusively to plastic carrier and shopping bags,” he stated.
Phulpoto explained that other plastic items such as bread bags, food packaging, frozen food wraps, garbage bags, shrink wrap, pallet wrap, bubble wrap, agricultural mulching films, milk and water packaging, agricultural films and netting with a service life of less than three years, woven plastic bags, BOPP, CPP, and metalized plastic films are not subject to the ban.
He noted that some vested interests are misleading the plastic industry while government’s focus is only on shopping bags that contribute significantly to pollution and solid waste.
Sindh Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development, Agha Shahnawaz Khan, reaffirmed that the government’s policy is clear as only shopping bags are prohibited. “These bags are hazardous to the environment,” he said, calling the decision a historic move taken in public interest.
