The Punjab Minister for Environment Muhammad Rizwan was briefed about the changes being introduced in the Polythene Bag Ordinance 2002 at a departmental meeting here on Thursday convened to review the proposed amendment.
Secretary EPD Dr Zafar Nasarullah briefing the Minister said that legislation already exist prohibiting manufacture, sale, use and import of polythene bags below fifteen micron thickness under the ordinance 2002. He said that there is need of amending the ordinance 2002, so as to increase the allowed thickness of polythene bags to 45 micron as India had fixed it at 50 micron and china at 60 microns.
The Minister was also informed that amendments were also being introduced to delegate powers of checking the implementation of the said law by the officials of the local Government Department and district administration in addition to the officials of EPA to make it more effective.
The provincial minister agreed to amend the law on the use of polythene bags and directed the secretary to make a clear policy to increase thickness of shopping bags from 15 micron to 40 micron. He advised to immediately start working on preparing draft of plastic bag act, 2019 and also for launching an awareness campaign to discourage the use of the light weight and low thickness polythene bags.
UET Professor Dr Yasir Gill, Senior Scientific Officer PCSIR Laboratories Dr Saira Taj, D.G EPA Syeda Malika and Director EPA Nasim-ur-Rehman attended the meeting.