Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has announced that strict monitoring will commence on November 1 to end polythene shopping bags.
Moreover, actions will be taken against polythene shopping bag manufacturers. She clarified that only plastic shopping bags are being targeted, and legal actions will be enforced against any supermarket providing them.
The announcement was made during a special meeting held at the Ministry of Textiles and Jute in the Bangladesh Secretariat, where the advisor was the chief guest.
The meeting discussed the implementation of the 2010 Mandatory Jute Packaging Act and encouraged the public to use jute bags as an alternative to plastic.
Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan emphasized that production will halt if people stop using plastic bags. Public awareness is crucial, and any intentional negligence will be met with action. She further stated that initiatives will be taken to help people understand the harmful impacts of plastic bags so that they voluntarily avoid their use.
Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain, Advisor to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute and the Ministry of Shipping, said that increasing the use of jute bags is essential.
He assured us that necessary steps would be taken to ensure an adequate supply of jute bags and that raw jute exports would be halted if necessary.
