Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today said super shops can’t use polythene shopping bags and polypropylene bags and provide them to the customers from October 1.

Alternative jute and cloth bags will be placed at or in front of all super shops for customers while the youths and students will be involved in this initiative, she said.

The adviser made the announcement at the meeting with the stakeholders at Bangladesh Secretariat here.

She said the advertisement of banning on shopping bags will be widely circulated in print and electronic media from September 15.

Public notice will be published in newspapers as well, she added.

Rizwana said the Ministry of Textiles and Jute will hold meetings with all the super shops within a week and take necessary measures to ensure the supply of shopping bags made of jute.

The Department of Environment (DoE) in association with ESDO will organise a fair for manufacturers of alternative eco-friendly materials/jute/textile bags by September 30, she said.

At the fair, the adviser said super shop authorities and producers can discuss their demand and supply.

The environment, forest and climate change secretary, additional secretaries of the ministry, DoE director general, senior officials of other ministries and representatives of various super shops were present at the meeting.