Pakistan recycles less than 10pc of plastic waste, minister calls for stronger EPR framework

ISLAMABAD, Nov 05 (APP):Minister of State for Climate Change Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal on Thursday called for a comprehensive and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, improved waste segregation and greater investment in recycling infrastructure to address plastic pollution in the country. Addressing a panel discussion titled 'From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Better Systems in Pakistan' at the 29th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC), organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), she said Pakistan needed to strengthen its waste management systems and move towards a circular economy. The minister said plastic, despite its affordability and usefulness in preserving food and protecting medicines, had become a major environmental challenge because of its durability and inadequate disposal and recycling systems. She said fragmented waste collection, lack of segregation at household level and limited recycling capacity were contributing to plastic accumulation along roads, riverbanks and drainage systems, besides polluting air and water. Dr Shezra said Pakistan relied heavily on informal waste workers, who performed a significant role in waste collection but often lacked adequate protection, training, recognition and integration into the formal system. She recalled that the federal cabinet had approved the Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations for Islamabad in 2023, building on the polyethylene bag ban introduced in 2019. The regulations restrict the manufacture, import, sale and use of specified single-use plastic products in the capital, with Pak-EPA and the ICT Administration responsible for enforcement. She said companies manufacturing, using or importing PET packaging also had responsibilities for managing and recycling post-consumer waste, adding that the initiative should be made more effective and extended across the country. Referring to Pakistan's participation in the Global Plastic Action Partnership in 2022, she said a national action roadmap had also been developed to reduce plastic pollution. The minister identified stronger federal-provincial coordination, realistic waste management targets and clearly defined responsibilities for governments, industries, municipalities, retailers, recyclers and consumers as key priorities. She called on industries to work through Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to finance and manage plastic waste collection, recycling and reporting. Highlighting the scale of the challenge, she said Pakistan recycled less than 10 per cent of its plastic waste, stressing that green financing, targeted fiscal incentives and investment in collection, sorting and recycling facilities were essential to improve the situation. She also emphasised that informal waste workers must be integrated into the EPR system and provided safer working conditions and fair recognition. Households, she added, could contribute by segregating waste at source. Referring to local initiatives, she cited a PET recycling pilot launched in Islamabad with support from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as an eco-brick facility in Lahore that converted plastic waste into construction material. She said such innovative initiatives required scaling up through training, capacity-building and technology transfer. She also called for regional cooperation to address plastic pollution, saying environmental challenges transcended national borders. Speaking on the occasion, CoRe Alliance Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Waqar Ahmad called for a harmonised EPR framework to avoid different regulatory systems across provinces. He advocated phased implementation, industry participation and financial incentives, including tax relief and concessional financing, to encourage private investment in recycling infrastructure. Environmental scientist Zainab stressed that effective waste segregation and a comprehensive waste management policy should precede further restrictions on plastic products. She said organic waste accounted for around 60 per cent of Pakistan's waste stream, while plastic represented approximately four per cent, and called for integrating informal waste workers into formal systems. Managing Director Green Earth Recycling Babar Aziz said Pakistan's recycling industry had the capacity to process substantial quantities of recyclable material if waste was properly collected and segregated. He said mixing recyclable materials with contaminated waste increased processing costs and reduced the quality of recycled products. He also highlighted the absence of separate collection and transportation arrangements, saying segregated household waste was often mixed again during municipal collection. On the occasion, the state minister distributed reusable tote bags among the participants, handed over by CoRe Alliance to the Pak EPA under its efforts to support the implementation of single-use plastics regulations.