The ban on the sale and purchase of plastic shopping bags is being enforced in the city from Thursday.

Administrator Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) Farooq Langove said 12 plastic warehouse had been sealed in different parts of the city. “Those producing and selling plastic bags were given two months. That deadline has now expired,” Langove added.

The QMC administrator told reporters that biodegradable shopping bags are being introduced in the city and a private manufacturing plant to produce them has become operational.

Langove warned against the use of any shopping bags which were not biodegradable. “Action will be taken against those found to be using plastic shopping bags.”

He advised traders to only use biodegradable shopping bags as they were environmentally friendly.

The use of plastic shopping bags has also been banned by the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) in Karachi. The CBC has set a deadline of June 30 for the enforcement of the ban.

The Hunza district administration banned the use of plastic shopping bags in order to curtail environment degradation.