Efforts to impose complete ban on plastic bags progressing well: Cepa

EFFORTS to impose a complete ban on the manufacture, import and use of plastic shopping bags in PNG are progressing well and industries and business communities will be consulted for their feedback once the draft legislation is complete, an official says.
Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (Cepa) managing director Gunther Joku said a full briefing on the progress made so far would be made in the coming weeks. The target for the ban is November this year.
Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Minister John Pundari announced the government’s plan to impose the ban in May last year and gave industries and business communities a grace period of 18 months.
“We are preparing consultation programmes and we will engage industries and business communities once these key position papers and draft legislation are in place,” Joku said.
Pundari has urged industries to come up with other innovate ways of producing shopping carry bags.
“The alternatives will only be paper bags, bilums (string bags) and other forms of carry bags and not plastics,” he said.
Plastic pollution has become a serious environmental concern globally and countries around the world are taking serious action to control and reduce plastic waste.