Plastic that is designed effectively, used correctly, recycled reliably, and remanufactured creatively can stay in the economy almost indefinitely, with little environmental and health impacts. But too often plastic products are not designed to be re-used or to be recycled and are meant for single – time use only. The lack of adequate awareness and hesitation for a behavioral shift in general public is also a major reason that resist the redundancy of single-use plastics.

EPD Punjab has recently notified the Plastic Management Strategy in 2023. Furthermore, the Punjab Environmental Protection (Production and Consumption of Single-Use Plastic Product) Regulations, 2023 and amendments in the regulations have been notified this year, 2024 have also been promulgated. These regulations herald a significant step forward in our battle against environmental degradation from single use plastics. Under these regulations, EPCCD has launched a web-based portal for the easiest and quickest registration of plastic producers, consumers, collectors and recyclers (https://epd.punjab.gov.pk).

This portal simplifies the application process into a few straightforward steps. First, the applicant provides their personal details, followed by business information. Next, they select the category for which the license is required (producer, consumer, collector, or recycler) and upload a document indicating their name and address.

The system then generates a fee challan, which the applicant pays at the National Bank (integration of ePay Punjab is also underway). Once the payment is made, the challan is uploaded, and the application is submitted.

Initially, the Plastic Management Cell processes the application before forwarding it to the District EPA offices for verification and validation.

Upon successful verification, the license will be issued to the applicant.