During June this year, in a bid to ‘go green’, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) declared a ban on the use of polythene bags in Kathmandu Valley. However, within just a few days of declaration, Nepal Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (NPMA) filed a case against this decision in the Supreme Court, claiming that there are no alternatives to polythene bags and thus, the decision should be withheld.
Shortly, ruling was made in favor of NMPA, and the court asked KMC to hold this decision until it was able to find an alternative to plastic bags. This has, for now, halted the ambitious government plan to control increasing pollution through a ban plastic bag use. [break]
This was not KMC’s first attempt to make Kathmandu a plastic-free city. In 2001, Supreme Court had directed the then Government to declare a ban over use of plastic bags in Kathmandu. However, this decision was limited to paper. Later, the government came up with Kathmandu Declaration 2011-12, with stricter rules along with a clause allowing authorities to punish users of polythene bags with fines ranging from Rs.500 to Rs.50,000.
Unfortunately, there was no control over this directive, and it remained merely a publicity stunt of KCM. In the same year, the government also declared ban on plastics below 20 micron in busy areas such as Singha Durbar and some World Heritage sites. Yet, neither the local people nor the tourists visiting these places seem to be aware of this decision. Sometimes in the same year, another decision banning the production of plastic bags weighing less than 20 micron was also made. The common use of thin polythene bags everywhere clearly reflects the ineffectiveness of this decision.
There is no denying that plastic materials have caused a serious problem in the crowded and unmanaged city of Kathmandu. During rainy seasons, haphazard disposal of plastic bags cause the widespread problem of water logging. These bags that are used for a few minutes to carry goods from shops to homes, are then thrown in the open spaces and river-beds, causing soil as well as water pollution. A polythene bag takes up to a thousand years to break down. Even after that, it continues to pollute the environment, as plastic does not biodegrade like other organic materials.
Almost 10 percent of the garbage in the valley consists of plastic bags. The daily demand of plastic bags is almost 300 tons per day. More than 60 industries in Kathmandu produce 50 tons of plastic bags each day. While the government has already declared a ban on plastic bags weighing less than 20 micron, the profit-oriented manufacturers continue to ignore the directive. They take advantage of the government’s reluctance to take action against them.
At present, charging extra to costumers for plastic bags can be an effective method to discourage the use of plastics bags. This has been implemented successfully in many parts of our neighboring country India. Moreover, arrangements can be made for the amount paid for plastic bags by costumers to reach the state. For this, government can hike indirect taxes for manufacturers of the plastic bags. The burden of the tax is passed on to customers by manufacturers. Highly priced plastic bags will definitely impact the use of the plastic bags. People will be discouraged from buying plastic bags and will use other bags or reuse the polythene bags.
In a private effort, a similar project is being carried out by Bhat Bhateni Supar Market in coordination with an environmental organization—Himalayan Climate Initiative. Customers pay Rs.1 extra for each polythene bag, which is provided to the organization along with extra 50 paise by the mall itself. The money goes to a special project aimed towards uplifting women in poor societies through a campaign called ‘Hamri-Bahini Green Social Enterprise‘. Moreover, cloth bags manufactured by the poor women involved with this enterprise are also sold by the mart at subsidized prices. By now, project has been successful and has been extended to several small departmental stores and marts with the aim of discouraging the use of plastic and contributing towards women empowerment.
While a small organization has successfully discouraged the use of plastic bags, government efforts to discourage the use of polythene bags by charging a certain amount for it can not only reduce environmental problems but also be a source of revenue for the government, which can be expended in other development works.
The author writes on
environmental and
climate change
prayash.koirala@gmail.com
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