The Indonesian capital will disallow single-use plastic bags from its markets by June.
Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, has issued a regulation banning plastic bags from traditional and modern markets starting June this year. The Southeast Asian nation is listed as the second-worst offender for polluting the world’s oceans with plastic.
The regulation – Gubernatorial Regulation No. 142/2019 on eco-friendly bag usage – was signed by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on Dec. 27.
“According to the regulation’s Article 30, the ban will take effect six months after the regulation was enacted on Dec. 31,” Jakarta Legal Bureau head Yayan Yuhana told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The administration defined single-use plastic bags as transparent bags made from various kinds of plastics, and the regulation carries punishments for shopping centres found violating the ban, which ranges from a written warning and fine to permit suspension and termination.
Jakarta will be added to the long list of regions across the country that have imposed a ban on single-use plastic. The list includes South Kalimantan’s Banjarmasin (the first city to do so), East Kalimantan’s Balikpapan and Bali’s Denpasar.
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