Hundreds exchange plastic for cloth bags ahead of ban

Local body establishes 16 collection centres

Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar distributing cloth bags in exchange of single-use plastic materials in Madurai on Monday.

Hundreds of residents exchanged their single-use plastic products for cloth bags at an awareness initiative organised by the City Corporation, here on Monday.

Ahead of the State-wide plastic ban on January 1, the local body established 16 plastic collection centres to celebrate ‘No plastic New Year and Bhogi’. Several members of resident welfare associations, school students and traders visited the stalls and exchanged their single-use plastic materials including spoons, flags, plastic covers and polythene bags.

Those residents who bought their material in bulk received tiffin boxes as additional gifts. Some resident welfare associations pro-actively handed out saplings to the participants of the exchange.

V. Muthupandi, a businessman from Teachers Colony, said that residents participated with lot of enthusiasm in his area. “Unless such initiatives are organised by the government, public may not know about such initiatives. Though change from plastic to other materials will be slow, it will be effective. We hope to see more awareness campaigns in the future,” he said.

Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar who distributed bags at MGR Bus Stand said that the Tamil Nadu Government’s move to ban plastic would help in the protection of the environment, reduce littering and even save waterbodies in Madurai. “Residents should begin switching from plastic bags to cloth, jute and biodegradable alternatives as it becomes illegal to use single-use plastic from January 1. People are still using non-woven bags but this too has been banned. We hope the message reaches the people,” he said.

He added that the Corporation often managed to collect mounds of plastic waste during their cleanliness drives on the Vaigai river bank.

“Plastic bags often lead to soil degradation and do not allow groundwater percolation. With the support of the public and trade bodies, we can make a significant difference,” he said.

He also said that cloth bags should be reused and citizens should take carriers to restaurants for their takeaways to prevent use of plastic in the future.