ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said the government had kick-started Pakistan’s journey to reduce plastic waste as the Federal Cabinet approved the “Single Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations 2023” on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The prime minister, in a post on the social media platform Twitter, said, “Today we have kick-started Pakistan’s journey to reduce plastic waste as the Federal Cabinet approved ‘Single Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations 2023’ on World Environment Day. The new regulation will phase out single-use plastic items throughout Islamabad.”

“We will also be introducing an action plan for its implementation. As a reflection of our commitment to fighting pollution, all the Federal Government entities, including the Prime Minister’s Office, have been directed to be the front-runners and strictly use only refillable water containers from today onwards. I urge all provincial governments and the public at large to join us in reducing and help to beat plastic pollution in Pakistan,” he added.