KATHMANDU, JULY 26
The Department of Environment has decided to strictly monitor the status of ban on production, import, sale, distribution, and use of plastic bags with thickness of less than 40 microns, beginning August 17.
Issuing a public notice, the DoEnv warned that anyone defying the ban on plastic bags would be liable to legal action under the existing law. As per the Environment Protection Act-2019, if a person or organisation commits any act contrary to the act or rules framed under the act, the offender may be punished with a fine up to Rs 300,000. "We appeal to everyone to cooperate with the DoEnv in its environment protection efforts and shun production, import, sale, distribution, and use of plastic bags with thickness of less than 40 microns in line with the decision of the government," it said in the notice.
The Ministry of Forests and Environment had imposed a complete ban on plastic bags below 40 microns by publishing a notice in the Nepal Gazette on 15 September, 2021.
Any provision introduced by the government comes into effect upon its publication in the Nepal Gazette. However, the ban has yet to be implemented or complied with effectively.
The DoEnv blamed the non-implementation of the ban on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Action Plan for Ban on Plastic Bags-2022 recently approved by the Council of Ministers has empowered the monitoring committees of all three levels of government to confiscate plastic bags from the firms, companies or persons that produce, collect, sell or distribute or store plastic bags below 40 microns.
"We could not carry out monitoring at the peak of the pandemic. Now, we are set to strictly monitor the status of implementation beginning August 17," the DoEnv said.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
