Plastic bags banned in 2 sectors of Islamabad

Two sectors of Islamabad, E-8 and E-9, have taken the lead in banning plastic bags.

The ban has been put in place to raise awareness among residents, particularly the youth, regarding the hazards of plastic use.

Many residents have welcomed the measure and some could be spotted heading to shops and markets in these two sectors carrying cloth-bags or big paper ones.

The environmentally friendly measure in the two sectors has been taken by the local military leadership — sector E-8 houses Naval headquarters and E-9, Air Headquarters.

Recycled bags

Recently, plastic bags were banned in these sectors, with shopkeepers instructed to keep environment-friendly recycled shopping bags or paper bags for the convenience of shoppers.

Daily, more than 5,000 students at schools, colleges and universities in the two sectors arrive from various localities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A similar number of office workers, teachers, sanitary staff and labour force also work here.

In spite of this daily influx and exodus of hundreds and thousands of people and vehicles, the roads in these sectors are cleaner, and parks and pavements aren’t littered.

“This is all because of the absence of plastic. At vegetable and fruit shops, meat and fish markets, clothes and stationery stores, you will not find a single plastic bag, or ‘shopper’, as we generally call them,” said Maria, a resident of E-8.

Khizar, a vendor in Sector E-9 said it was a bit odd to put vegetables in cloth or paper bags for shoppers in the begging, but with the passage of time, they got used to it.

A spokesperson of the Naval Headquarters said the plastic bag ban orders already existed. “We are now only implementing them in letter and spirit.”

An Air Force Headquarters spokesperson said the ban on plastic was imposed last month, simultaneously with the Naval Headquarters.