Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Plastic ban to be enforced in phases

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Department of Local Self Government has launched an intensive state-wide campaign to enforce the ban on plastic materials below 30 microns in thickness.

In a bid to drum up support for the campaign, Local Self Government Minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty has scheduled a series of meetings with representatives of local bodies, service organisations, traders, government departments, and the media, to be held from this week.

The Department has made a formal request to the Finance Minister to ensure that plastic covers and containers brought from neighbouring states are seized at check-posts. The Department has also demanded a hike in tax on plastic and a reduction of value added tax (VAT) on eco-friendly substitute materials like paper, cloth and palm leaf.

Sources in the LSG Department said the plastic ban had been welcomed by farmers across the state, in view of the threat posed by non-degradable material to farmlands.

In the first phase lasting one month, the campaign will focus on educating different sections of the public and persuading them to shun the use of disposable plastic. The subsequent phase will see stringent and deterrent action against those found stocking, selling, or using the banned version of plastic.

A two-tier monitoring system has been set up to enforce the ban. Based on instructions from the LSG Department, special squads have been set up by all local bodies. The squads have been directed to issue notice to traders found stocking disposable plastic. All the squads are equipped with micrometers to check the thickness of plastic.

Government sources said the enforcement measures would commence from the month of October. A combined squad comprising the Panchayat joint-director and municipal joint-director has been constituted. The Government-level squad is empowered to call for explanation from the concerned local body secretary in case of a seizure of banned plastic.

Civic officials said there has been a significant increase in the manufacture of paper bags since the plastic ban was announced. A couple of units at the Manvila industrial estate near here have stepped up production to meet the increased demand from traders.

One common complaint about paper covers is that they cannot be used to carry wet items like fish, meat and other food materials. To make up for this drawback, manufacturers have started making cloth-lined paper covers that are stronger and carry more weight.

Customers at shops and wayside stalls receive most of their purchase wrapped in waste paper. Traders also request customers to bring bags with them.

Civic officials admit that the ban on plastic covers has already helped to curb the littering of public places. “It was easy to dispose of garbage in the ubiquitous plastic covers that were supplied free from every shop. With the disposable covers no longer in circulation, residents are more careful in disposing of solid waste,” says an official.

Kudumbasree workers involved in garbage collection are being educated about the need to avoid the use of plastic covers.

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