A ‘Say No to Plastic Waste’ consortium was launched here on Wednesday at Marriott Hotel in collaboration with Miracles Trust.
State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul was chief guest on the occasion Senior Joint Secretary Hammad Shamimi, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Amer Ahmad Ali and Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat also attended, besides ambassadors, heads of agencies in UN Group, World Bank and representatives of the corporate sector.
The consortium laid out a broad-based vision to commit to a plastic-waste free Pakistan and announced a series of actionable steps to achieve this goal. Furthermore, the founding members signed a pledge aimed at providing the best solutions to single-plastic use, recycling of plastics and addressing the plastic waste.
Members sign pledge to reduce plastic usage and eliminate plastic waste
“We are committed to working on a plan to reduce plastic bag usage and we have already taken an initiative to reduce 70% of plastic consumption in the hotel,” Marriott Hotel General Manager Maurizio Romani said. “The step was taken as soon as ban on plastic bags was announced by the Federal Capital Territory on August 14 this year. Our management and colleagues are excited to lead the way and to make a difference,” he added.
“Today’s launch symbolises commitment of various partners to work towards the reduction of plastic waste,” Plastic Miracles founder Elli Takagaki said.
A website was also launched on the occasion which will serve as a central portal for partners to access and share experiences and best practices and showcase ideas and resources.
“Pakistan is a very large country and, as such, the enormity of plastic usage and corresponding waste has numerous dimensions and related solutions. The consortium will provide a unified platform for all stakeholders to work towards elimination of plastic waste in Pakistan,” Miracles Trust founder Imran Shaukat said.