Dhaka, Sep 25 (IANS): Polythene and polypropylene bags will be banned at all supermarkets from October 1 and in other markets from November 1 in Bangladesh.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Bangladeshi interim government's Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, on Tuesday, announced that stern actions will be taken against producers of polythene and polypropylene starting November 1, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ban on plastic bags, which has been in place since 2002, will now be strictly enforced, she said.

Superstores have already placed orders for alternative bags, and necessary arrangements are being made to meet the demand, she added.

Officials said a detailed action plan was formulated to enforce the upcoming ban, including steps to raise public awareness through a nationwide media campaign.

The major impact of polythene bags on the environment is that it takes many years for them to decompose. In addition, toxic substances are released into the soil when plastic bags perish under sunlight and, if plastic bags are burned, they release a toxic substance into the air causing ambient air pollution.