On a warm winter afternoon in Karachi’s Shireen Jinnah neighborhood, two young boys, Irfanullah Wahid and his cousin Faisal Asadullah, navigate through a labyrinth of carts and scattered debris. Despite being only 11 and 10 years old, respectively, they carry white sacks nearly as tall as themselves, filled with collected materials. Their playful banter contrasts with their focused eyes, constantly scanning the ground for recyclable items. Wahid concentrates on gathering metal cans, while Asadullah searches for thick plastic pieces. When he spots a flimsy plastic bag, commonly called a ‘shopper’ across Pakistan, caught in a cart wheel, he skillfully removes it but immediately discards it, explaining that such thin plastics hold no value for recyclers.
Surrounding them is a sea of litter: discarded chip packets, shampoo sachets, and sachets of saunf-supari (mouth freshener). Most of these are made from non-recyclable laminated materials, which neither the boys nor the kabadiwallah (informal recyclers) can profit from. This scene is a microcosm of a much larger crisis. Pakistan produces roughly 2 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, yet only about 15 to 18 percent of this is recycled. Without swift and effective intervention, projections estimate that by 2040, the country’s plastic waste could balloon to a staggering 12 million tonnes.
The consequences of this growing plastic burden are far-reaching. In major urban centers like Karachi and Lahore, blocked drains caused by plastic debris exacerbate urban flooding during monsoon seasons, creating health hazards and infrastructural damage. Beyond immediate urban challenges, plastic waste often breaks down into microplastics, infiltrating soil, water sources, crops, and ultimately entering the human food chain. Additionally, the common practice of burning mixed waste releases toxic fumes, further deteriorating air quality. As the scale of the problem intensifies, there is mounting pressure to hold producers accountable for the waste generated by their packaging.
In response, a coalition known as the CoRE Alliance—comprising food and beverage companies, NGOs, recyclers, and packaging firms—has emerged to advocate for a national framework that shifts the financial responsibility for packaging waste from consumers to the companies that manufacture it. This approach, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), aims to manage plastic waste throughout its entire lifecycle. Under this system, businesses would be required to fund producer responsibility organizations tasked with collecting, recycling, and safely disposing of waste, all while adhering to government-mandated transparency and safety standards. Hussain Ali Talib, head of communications at Unilever Pakistan, succinctly captures the vision: “The goal is simple: better plastic management today, lasting circularity for the future.”
However, experts caution that any effective EPR framework must integrate the vast informal waste sector, which includes between 200,000 and 333,000 individuals. Dr. Ayesha Khan, CEO of the Akhtar Hameed Khan Foundation, emphasizes the critical role of waste pickers and recyclers, describing them as “frontline partners” who manage approximately 40 percent of Pakistan’s waste. She warns that without formally recognizing and including this invisible workforce, the EPR initiative is unlikely to succeed. This informal sector comprises workers like Wahid and Asadullah, whose daily efforts keep cities cleaner despite operating under hazardous and unregulated conditions.
Pakistan’s plastic pollution problem is starkly visible in its waterways. The Indus River, historically revered as the lifeblood of the region, now ranks among the world’s most plastic-contaminated rivers. In urban areas such as Karachi, the river is often choked with floating debris—plastic bottles, Styrofoam, and other single-use plastics. A 2022 World Bank study highlighted that plastic waste outweighs all other types of refuse in the river, with single-use items accounting for one in every four plastic pieces. Nationally, Pakistan discards an estimated 55 billion plastic bags annually, a figure that continues to rise.
In cities, a significant portion of waste collection falls to informal pickers, many of whom are women and children working without protective gear or formal recognition. Karachi alone is home to an estimated 40,000 waste pickers who recover between 500 to 1,000 tonnes of waste daily from streets and unofficial dumping sites that municipal services do not reach. Dr. Khan describes these workers as “the invisible hands keeping our cities from becoming piles of waste,” highlighting their indispensable yet overlooked contribution. Despite the risks they face—lack of gloves, masks, boots, health coverage, or contracts—these individuals form the backbone of urban waste management.
Efforts to improve conditions for waste pickers include localized pilot projects. The Akhtar Hameed Khan Foundation is implementing a scalable model in Sahiwal, Punjab, about 1,000 kilometers from Karachi. This initiative focuses on organizing waste pickers into cooperatives, linking them with municipal authorities and recycling markets to create a more sustainable and inclusive waste management system. While such grassroots models are essential, businesses involved in the EPR movement look to international examples for guidance. Hussain Ali Talib of Unilever Pakistan believes that the company’s experience with EPR in other countries offers valuable lessons for adapting best practices within Pakistan’s unique legal and economic landscape.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s climate minister, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, underscores the importance of supporting small and medium-sized recycling enterprises through clear and consistent regulations. He argues that such a regulatory framework would not only revive the circular economy centered around plastics but also make economic sense by facilitating enforcement and compliance.
Despite these promising developments, integrating Pakistan’s informal waste sector into a formalized EPR system presents significant challenges. The informal economy constitutes an estimated 59 percent of the country’s GDP and employs millions in jobs that largely escape government oversight. The waste sector includes a complex network of pickers, itinerant buyers, and small-scale recyclers who operate in precarious legal and economic conditions. Many lack formal identification, social protections, or steady incomes, and their livelihoods often depend on remaining outside regulatory frameworks to avoid taxation or eviction. The presence of child laborers like Wahid and Asadullah further complicates efforts to formalize the sector.
As policymakers and companies push forward with EPR, a central dilemma emerges: how to formalize a system that has thrived precisely because it remained informal. Zia Naqi, CEO of SPEL, a plastic packaging and auto parts manufacturer and member of the CoRE Alliance, acknowledges that gaining cooperation from local informal actors will be the most difficult hurdle. He warns that the cost of cleaning up plastic waste may initially fall disproportionately on the formal sector, potentially squeezing ethical companies with higher operational costs and increased scrutiny from investors.
Dr. Khan agrees that the early stages of EPR implementation will place a heavier burden on formal businesses but remains optimistic that, over time, trust and collaboration will encourage informal workers to share in the costs and benefits. She stresses the need to align incentives through climate-smart policies and advocates for organizing informal waste pickers to bring them into the fold. Many experts concur that an inclusive approach will strengthen the overall EPR framework, making it more effective and equitable.
Waqar Ahmad, CEO of the CoRE Alliance, emphasizes the importance of tailoring Pakistan’s EPR policy to local realities while drawing on global best practices. He advocates for a phased, practical, and coherent implementation strategy, acknowledging that no single company can manage the recycling of all its waste immediately. The path forward requires patience, collaboration, and a commitment to integrating Pakistan’s invisible workforce into a sustainable plastic management system that benefits both the environment and society at large.
