A day before the Kathmandu Metropolitan City was to clamp down on the purchase and sales of polythene bags in the capital, the Supreme Court (SC) issued a show cause notice to the office. [break]
The KMC ran awareness programs through print and broadcast media in the months of April and May to implement the ban from June 15. However, the apex court intervened on June 14, responding a writ.
The court was responding to a writ filed by Nepal Plastic Manufacturer (NPMA) that sought mandamus against the KMC. While the SC sought clarification within 15 days, the KMC replied that the uncontrolled use of plastic products clogged the sewage pipes and contributed to the decline in soil quality, said KMC Chief Laxman Aryal. "We are waiting for the SC order to go ahead with our plan," he said.
However, even the manufacturers of environment-friendly bags feel that polythene bags are not going to vanish so soon. On the other hand, the companies that produce eco-friendly bags in the Valley have said that the metropolis has not asked them to increase production though it is determined to impose the ban.
The companies are not eager to produce large quantities of environment-friendly bags as the awareness level is still very low among people about the benefits of such bags and they may not be willing to pay Rs 30 to Rs 65 to purchase such bags, said Damodar Acharya, director of Saugat Enterprises.
The government must provide subsidies to the manufacturers of such bags so that they can make the products available at reasonable price, he claimed. The company had won the bid for supplying environment-friendly bags to the KMC in November.
“There is limited demand of fiber, nylon or paper bags since people are not habituated to carry them all the time,” said Acharya.
The NNPMA data shows, more than 40 plastic industries produce 50 tons of poly-bags every day in the Valley. The demand across the country crosses 300 tons on a daily basis, whereas the manufacturers of polythene bags pay Rs 600 million in taxes to the government every year.
To discourage the use of plastic bags, the KMC had placed an order with a company to supply 21,000 environment-friendly bags before the mid-June deadline. The administrative officer of the KMC Ganesh Thapaliya said that the company has already supplied 14,000 bags and additional 7,000 pieces would be delivered in a few days. However, the bags remain unused at the office following the SC verdict.
Plastic manufacturers say that plastic would not be a waste had the government spread awareness among people.
Shailendra Lal Pradhan points out that government needs to encourage people to use plastic bags wisely rather than ban it completely. “One kilogram of waste polythene bag fetches Rs 25 if sold to rag pickers,” he claimed.
The Solid Waste Management and Technical Support points out that 65 percent of the total waste produced in the valley are bio-degradable. A survey carried out by the office recently in three districts of the valley revealed that the valley dwellers are hesitant to put a small effort to separate organic wastes from the overall wastes produced at their homes.
In Kathmandu, of the total 450 tons of trash produced by the wards in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the metropolis is able to collect only 300 tons. The private sector collects around 100 tons of garbage.
The Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City collects around 42 tons of garbage each day. Organic wastes, at 78.84 percent, comprised most of the solid wastes produced from the households, whereas institutional areas were more likely to produced paper wastes which stood at 43 percent.
According to environment and sanitation section of Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City, 75 tons of solid waste is generated daily in the area. However, the municipal office currently collects only around 60 tons due to limited resources. The remaining 15 tons are being managed at individual levels, reads the unpublished report of the Solid Waste Management and Technical Resource Centre. However, even in Lalitpur, source-segregation is mostly practiced in wards 22 and 13 only.
As per a survey in June of last year, 29 tons of solid waste is generated in Bhaktapur per day. However, only 25 tons of the waste is collected through both municipality and private agencies. Bhaktapur Municipality ensures that waste collection is conducted 2-3 times a day from the streets and public places. As in the other districts, the organic waste consisted of the largest portion of the wastes generated by the households at 83 percent. The district generated 10 percent plastic and 5 percent paper wastes.
Meanwhile, the Solid Waste Management Act 2011, states that Rs 500 can be fined to an individual using poly-bag and Rs 1000 to the producers once a ban is imposed in a particular municipality.
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