Yangon bans environmentally unfriendly plastic bags

Yangon - Myanmar's former capital of Yangon has banned the manufacture and import of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bags for environmental reasons, media reports said Monday. Businesses will be banned from manufacturing, importing, trading in or distributing HDPE plastic bags from November 30, the Myanmar Times English-language weekly reported.

The ban, announced by the Yangon branch of the ruling junta, does not apply to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) plastic bags, which disintegrate more quickly.

"It takes about 100 years for HDPE bags to break down due to their high density. It is a major cause of environmental pollution," said Ohn Than, the manager of a plastic factory in Yangon.

Yangon will be the third city in Myanmar to introduce such a ban, after Mandalay, in central Myanmar, and Nay Pyi Taw, the ruling junta's new capital as of late 2004.

Myanmar environmental groups have warned that alternatives to HDPE need to be found to make the campaign successful.

"We need to take into consideration consumers. We have to replace HDPE bags with another convenient form of packaging that they can use," said Phone Win, from Mingalar Myanmar, a non-governmental organization that runs several environmental projects in Myanmar.

"Only when people participate actively will the programme be successful," he told the Myanmar Times.

LDPE and PP plastic bags are considerably more expensive that HDPE bags.

The government has touted natural alternatives to plastic, such as bags made from banana leaves, lotus leaves, paper or reeds.