KATHMANDU—The World Environment Day was marked on Tuesday by planting trees and carrying out sanitation programs with given priority in the different parts of the country. The theme for the year 2018 was “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
However, priority was not given to manage the plastic wastes, which is a chronic environmental problem. Issue of waste management is not new but it is never taken seriously. The plastic bags were restricted in the Kathmandu valley but not implemented at all.
At a time when the attempts to control plastic bags were turning ineffective, the Ministry of Forests and Environment has again planned to take steps to restrict the use of plastic bags.
The Plastic Bags Regulation and Control Directives was formulated seven yearso ago, restricting production, imports and sale of plastic bags less than 30 microns. The amendment of directives four years ago allowed to produce plastic products with 20 inch width, 35 inch length, and weight less than 40 microns.
The government announced to restrict the plastic bags less than 40 microns from April 14, 2015. In the fiscal year 2016/2017, the government gave priority on this concern in the fiscal budget. Though several policies were made to restrict the use of plastic bags, all went in vain. The campaigns were launched but they were confined only in slogans. The government announced to fine upto Rs 50,000 to the plastic bag users. The use of plastic bags, to some extent, was reduced but not effectively successful.
Before deadly earthquake of April 28, 2015, the government bodies and authorities fully attempted to implement the restriction of plastic bags. And different organizations cooperated with the government campaign. It was effectively implemented for 14 days, said Shankar Paudel, information officer at the Department of Environment. There has not been any implementation of government’s policy concerning the plastic pollution.
