ANY vendor found distributing single-use plastic bags could be charged $150,000, be jailed for two years or face both – prison time and a fine.
This was the word from Ministry of Economy head of climate change Nilesh Prakash.
He issued the warning while meeting Suva Municipal Market vendors on Thursday.
Mr Prakash said vendors could no longer use their stock of single-use plastic bags and this had come into effect after the ban on single-use plastic bags which came into effect on January 1.
While speaking to the vendors, Mr Prakash said the manufacture of single-use plastic bags in Fiji would be stopped.
“This is the idea, we will phase out the manufacturing of single-use plastics,” he said.
“We have already seen here in the municipal markets that there are a lot of options of reusable bags people could choose from when they come to buy from the market. I have seen fruit sellers packing and selling their fruits in paper bags, so there needs to be a sort of shift.”
Mr Prakash urged the market vendors to try to adjust to the new change and make a habit of using other forms of packaging.
