As Plastic Bags Are Now Illegal, Pakistani Shoppers Adapted Quickly

In the Pakistani district of Hunza, the local government made the use and purchase of plastic bags completely illegal – marking it the first district in the nation to implement such a ban.

The law has been in effect since last April and residents quickly adjusted to the sudden change. “After shopkeepers refused to give us plastic bags, I now myself bring a cloth bag to take groceries home,” says 50-year-old Shamim Bagum, a shopper in the market.

Other regions have since followed the ban. The region of Punjab as well as the city of Quetta have both already made plastic bags illegal.

On top of saving the environment, this initiative also creates more jobs. Locals have been hired in factories to sew cloth bags – a now highly demanded alternative.