PESHAWARI: Environmentalists have urged upon countrymen to take collective action for reducing reliance on single use plastic and explore sustainable alternatives.
The call was made during discussion on a Twitter space jointly organized by Institute of Urbanism (IoU) and School of Leadership (SoLF) with the support of the U.S. Embassy, says a press release issued here on Thursday.
The discussion was held under the banner of “Reducing Plastic Waste for a Livable Urban Future in Pakistan” and was organized in connection with World Environment Day 2023.
The virtual event brought together experts, policymakers, and concerned citizens to address the pressing issue of plastic waste and its impact on urban environment in the country, adds the press release.
The event aimed to raise awareness, foster dialogue, and identify effective strategies for reducing plastic waste and creating livable urban spaces.
The panel included Ms. Farzana Altaf Shah Director General Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak EPA), Ms. Nazifa Butt Senior Manager Climate & Energy WWF-Pakistan, Ms. Mome Saleem Senior Environmentalist, Dr. Ejaz Ahmad Senior Program Fellow Institute of Urbanism (IoU), Ms. Mariyam Irfan Managing Director School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF), Mehreen Raza Founder and CEO She-Guard and Bilal Ahmad INT TECH GenUnlimited Global Winner. The space was hosted by Asmat Ullah, Anchorperson.
Initiative the debate, Dr. Ejaz Ahmad of IOU said according to research, every year, 55Billion plastic bags are used and the rate is increasing drastically by 15% annually. We need to come up with certain solutions to address this graving issue.
Farzana Altaf while speaking about ways to combat plastic pollution emphasized on the importance of initiating public-private partnerships to bring impactful change.
“We need more coordination amongst all the stakeholders involved to truly combat the issue of plastic pollution”, Farzana emphasized.
In response to a question about major industries involved in plastic pollution, Nazifa Butt mentioned that all the FMCGs, food and beverages industry, textile sector are the plastic producers as well as major contributors to the percentage of plastic waste in our waste generation.
She further shared that we cannot fully eliminate plastic from our lives but it’s good to see that these big companies have launched pilot projects focused on plastic recycling, adding that the government needs to set out a clear path for these companies to get substantial results from these schemes.
Mome Saleem, while answering a question regarding youth involvement for plastic free sustainable future, said government of Pakistan’s Green Youth Movement (GYM) program sounds like a commendable initiative.
Under the initiative, 137 GYM Clubs are established in different universities as a widespread commitment to environmental conservation and youth engagement to make cities plastic free, she added.
Mariyam Irfan, highlighted the role that society can play in reshaping waste practices in urban areas and stated that involvement of young people in youth groups is very important.
We need to focus on raising awareness and what better way than utilizing the youth population to spread the message.
The virtual discussion encouraged listeners to support policies promoting sustainable practices, engage in community-driven initiatives and advocate for systemic changes.