The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to amend the KP Prohibition of Non-Biodegradable Plastic Products and Regulation of Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic Product Rules of 2017.
The decision was taken after international entities, namely World Bank (WB) and Nestle, corroborated the KP government’s stance in December 2020 for protecting the environment through solid waste management and plastic recycling at tourism sites.
World Bank, Nestle and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Government sign a partnership agreement for the protection of the ecosystem through solid waste management and plastics recycling at tourism sites. #Tourism #Sustainability #Pak #Development #Pakistan #EmergingPakistan pic.twitter.com/ZvvHOpBgcI
— Emerging Pakistan (@dev9_) December 22, 2020
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As per the official handout, the following clauses on usage and manufacture of plastic products will be amended per Section-31 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Act of 2014:
Amendment in rule 2 for clause (b): “Non-biodegradable plastic product” meaning a plastic product that is not oxo-biodegradable and is specified in the schedule appended to these rules.
Amendment in rule 3 for “Prohibition of manufacture, sale, distribution, use or import of non-biodegradable plastic products and oxo-biodegradable shopping bags or carrier bags”, which states:
- There shall be a ban on the following plastic products for their manufacture, sale, distribution, use, or import:
- non-biodegradable plastic products
- shopping bags or carrier bags made of the oxo-biodegradable plastic product having handles or gussets, provided that the flat bag made of non-biodegradable oxo-biodegradable without handles or gussets are allowed to be manufactured, sold, use or import for industrial packing, municipal waste, hospital waste hazardous waste
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The aforementioned amendments also dictate that a license or permit, provisioned before the issuance of this amendment to any individual for the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, or import of products mentioned in sub-rule(1) “shall stand canceled on the issuance of this amendment notification.”
