Tracking plastic bags across Lahore,
One shop at a time.
Punjab banned plastic bags thinner than
75 microns in 2023.
Walk into almost any market in Lahore today,
and you’ll still find them.
Why?
Plastic bags clog drains, pollute waterways, and contribute to urban flooding. To tackle this issue, Punjab introduced a regulation requiring all plastic shopping bags to be at least 75 microns thick, encouraging consumers and businesses to shift toward stronger, reusable alternatives.
On paper, the solution seems straightforward.
On the ground, the story looks very different.
If thin plastic bags are illegal…
Thaila Warrior is an independent research project investigating how Lahore’s plastic bag regulation actually works in practice.
Over three months, plastic bags were collected, measured, and documented from shops across Lahore.
The goal isn’t just to find who is breaking the rules.
It’s to understand why.
Early observations suggest that compliance isn’t simply a matter of awareness.
Many shopkeepers know about the regulation. Many have experienced inspections. Yet thin plastic bags remain widely available.
For many small businesses, compliant bags cost significantly more, while wealthier customers often skip plastic entirely and switch to cloth bags.
This leaves compliant thicker plastic bags caught in the middle.
Every surveyed shop is represented on an interactive map. Because environmental policies shouldn’t only exist on paper. They should work for the people expected to follow them.