The Attingal municipality, which has received several accolades in the past for its solid waste management practices, has taken them one step ahead with a blanket ban on plastic carry bags, non-woven polypropylene bags, and other plastic packaging. The ban officially came into effect on Friday although the municipality will allow a grace period of a month for using up the existing stock of plastic carry bags to traders who apply for the same.
Later on, the civic body plans to confiscate the banned products from shopkeepers who continue to use them. Strict penal measures, including the levy of fines and cancellation of licences, would be implemented in the coming months, said Attingal Municipality Chairman M. Pradeep.
Although the ban follows in the footsteps of a similar move by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in March, the civic body had been mulling it for around four years now, according to him.
It was devised as a complement to other waste management practices adopted by the municipality, including waste treatment plants, a two-acre sanitary landfill and a plastic-shredding unit.
Traders’ support
While the ban had not been implemented earlier owing to opposition from traders, the environment has become more favourable now, with the traders becoming more aware of the threats posed by plastic, he said.
Further, the municipality had taken preparatory measures in order to introduce the prohibition, with the annual fee of ₹48,000 paid by traders for using plastic carry bags, as mandated by the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2016, being waived this year.
Alternatives
Advance preparation is not feasible as far as alternatives are concerned, as there are not sufficient facilities to manufacture paper and cloth bags to substitute the amount of plastic carry bags used on a daily basis, Mr. Pradeep said.
Instead, it is hoped that the ban will incentivise producers to manufacture more paper/cloth bags and also to reduce the use of carry bags.
