Kathmandu implements polythene bag ban: municipal police with machines in tole

KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is preparing to launch a plastic ban campaign based on the ‘awareness, prevention, and control’ model.

Beginning today, the metropolitan will prohibit the manufacture, importation, and distribution of plastic bags thinner than 40 microns.

On Saturday, city police officers were given training on the legal issues of the plastic ban, as well as the practical aspects of using plastic thickness measuring equipment.

Chief Administrative Officer Basanta Adhikari stated at the training that the campaign began by not allowing plastic bags into the metropolitan wards, centers, and other offices. ‘We should cease accepting polythene from the office entrance,’ he stated, adding that ‘this should be firmly enforced.’

Kampa has already banned plastic bags, plastic flower bouquets and garlands that are thinner than 40 microns from Shrawan 1 (July 17). However, for effective implementation, the city police has been mobilized from Sunday to confiscate those materials. “Even though KMC had prepared to mobilize a police team from Shrawan 1 (July 17), due to the problem of waste management in the valley, it was not possible to pay attention to it,” KMC Environment Department Head Ravinman Shrestha said, “We will implement it effectively from Sunday.”

Monitoring

A joint monitoring team of the Environment Management Department and the City Police Force will be mobilized for the implementation of the program. 5 teams consisting of 4 teams from the police area and one team from the center will be deployed for this.

The team will check the plastic in use with a micrometre. If the tested polythene is less than 40 microns thick, it will be confiscated. Plastic flowers, plastic decorations cannot be used at all.