MPKS to ban plastic bags on Sundays from next year
KUCHING: Kota Samarahan Municipal Council ( MPKS) will ban the use of plastic bags on Sundays, starting next year.
According to council chairman Dato Peter Minos, MPKS will not hesitate to take action against traders who do not comply with this order once it is implemented.
“We are serious in banning the use of plastic bags by the traders, especially those selling food and drinks – on Sundays at first; eventually, it may be every day,” he said.
Just last week, MPKS and other local councils announced that the they would ban the use of polystyrene (styrofoam) containers, beginning next year, in view of the carcinogenic risks brought by styrofoams.
“Many countries have already banned the use of plastic bags by the public, with some still using them very selectively and sparingly.
“Plastic bags are very bad to
We are serious in banning the use of plastic bags by the traders, especially those selling food and drinks – on Sundays at first; eventually, it may be every day. Dato Peter Minos, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council chairman
the environment and our health. There’s no need to read reports or dossiers from United Nations, Ministry of Health or medical digests – we all know how plastic and styrofoam waste products cause eyesore, clog our drains and streams, as well as pollute our rivers. “Some say even our oceans are filled by tonnes of plastics waste, forming small islands. Imagine if the fish eat them and then, we consume the fish – this is indeed a health hazard.”
Minos reiterated that plastic products are not biodegradable – meaning they would take a very long time to break down, unlike paper products.
“If the government bans plastic and styrofoam containers for food and drinks as well as in its, I would say proceed – I will go for it. In fact, this is the current global – go and see it at several Western countries.
“These nations know the real risks and dangers posed by usage of plastic and styrofoam products.”
Minos did not rule out that commercial and business segments might resist this move.
“Up to the 1960s, there was no or very little plastic items around; still, we got through quite well. So why massively use plastic and styrofoam products now? Why use something that is proven to be bad to our health and our world?
“So let us all do something about it. Next year, my municipal council will start doing it – no plastic bags on Sundays and no styrofoam at all. We will enforce it. The traders, who are defiant and remain recalcitrant, will face the music,” stressed Minos.