Stern measures sought to enforce ban on plastic

An independent collective of 14 Citizens Groups based in the State capital have approached Mayor V.K. Prasanth and District Collector K. Vasuki seeking their intervention to enforce and make more efficient the ban on one-time and low-grade plastics.

In an appeal to them on the occasion of World Environment Day, observed on Tuesday with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, the collective pointed out that the need of the hour was to to remove plastics from sight so that they would vanish from earth. The health of our children and youth was at stake as these toxins fill the air, soil, food and water, it said.

The collective has sought stern enforcement measures to make the already existing ban more efficient and to stop the use of carry bags, straws and other low quality plastic materials. Burning of plastics, which has become the legitimate and best way of disposal, has to be stopped. The habit of collecting waste under trees and burning them was causing damage to trees in the city and contributing to pollution, thereby affecting the health of citizens.

The public should be made aware of the harmful effects of plastic, especially the burning of plastic, as in the case of smoking. Steps should be taken to prevent dumping of plastics into fresh waterbodies, which, in turn, reach the sea.

The collective has demanded that the campaign to segregate waste in households into organic and non-biodegradable matter should be restarted. Public announcements about collection of plastic waste as done in other cities and helpline for public to report instances of waste dumps and plastic burning have been suggested.

Sakhi-Women’s Resource Centre, Tree Walk-Thiruvananthapuram, SEWA, SEWA-Union, Friends of Marine Life, Indus Cycling Embassy, Sustainable Technologies in the Community, Protsahan, Abhinaya-Theatre Research Group, Manaveeyam Theruvora Kootam, HUMANS, Sthreekootayma, M.B.S Youth Choir and Gandhi Smarka Nidhi are in the collective.