Plastic Bag Ban in Nepal : Enforcement and Effectiveness

Policy Brief 99-16

To make a significant impact on the amount of plastic waste produced in Nepal, national and local government institutions should implement a complete ban of single-use plastic bags. The effectiveness of such an approach is shown in municipalities that have enforced complete ban in place. In these areas plastic bag use is significantly lower than it is in municipalities that have partial bans or no bans. Calculations show that introducing a complete plastic bag ban across Nepal could stop some 1,250 million single-use plastic bags from entering the country's environment every year. Given the
negative impact that plastic bags have on the environment, a complete ban should become a key part of government environmental policy.