Plastic nation

By Editorial Board
April 14, 2023
It is time we made a decision: do we want to save our planet or not? For Pakistan,
this question holds a lot of importance. On Tuesday (April 11), the Ministry of
Climate Change shared some shocking facts: Pakistan produced three million tons
of plastic waste in 2022 and — if things remain as it is — the country is likely to
produce 12 million tons of plastic waste by 2040. To put things in perspective, if we
dump the three million tons of waste together, the mountain of waste so produced
will be around 16,500 million — twice as high as the world’s second-highest
mountain, K2. It is true that Pakistan has taken several steps to reduce plastic
waste. Not only has it joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership to decrease
waste, it regularly imposes a ban on single-use plastic to put an end to plastic
pollution. But these steps are not helpful. Pakistan needs to focus more on recycling
than slapping bans on plastic every now and then.

The reason plastic is so widely used in Pakistan – and across the world – is
affordability, durability and accessibility. The low cost of plastic makes it the most-
preferred packaging material for both small and large-scale businesses. But its
unchecked use has become a health hazard. Tackling the plastic problem will need
time and a different approach. Government-imposed bans usually hurt consumers
who have to pay extra to buy cloth bags or other alternatives. The other tactic is to
charge consumers for plastic bags in an attempt to encourage them to bring grocery
bags to malls and shopping centres. But this is counter-productive and hurts the
goodwill of established businesses. What the government can (and should) do is to
raise awareness among people about recycling. This can be done by offering some
sort of rewards. In several countries, supermarkets set up small machines where
people deposit their used plastic bags in exchange for small amounts of money.
Companies that use plastic packaging material — bottles, containers, etc — should
have special offers for people who bring their used bottles to the outlet. Authorities
should also install bins with clear recycling symbols printed on them to help people
dispose of their trash responsibly.
Why Pakistan keeps failing to tackle plastic pollution is that there is no coordination
between policymakers and people. When bans are imposed, people regard it as a
strict punishment and complain that authorities are insensitive towards the
problems caused to them by such bans. The government has to launch programmes
on a national level and come up with a way to make people be more invested in
recycling. The country recently went through apocalyptic floods and cannot possibly
tackle any environmental hazard. We should be more concerned about the health of
the planet — given it is the only place where humans can live — and take steps to
tackle plastic pollution more efficiently.