Despite Tiruchi Corporation's stringent enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic items of less than 40 microns, small scale vendors continue to utilise the banned carry bags, resulting in a considerable amount of plastic garbage.
Plastic wastes are visible not just in landfills but also on roadsides and in drainage systems, obstructing wastewater flow. Plastic bags, which are still commonly used by small scale vendors selling flowers, fruits, and vegetables, account for a major portion of the waste generated.
Persistent usage of plastic bags by small scale vendors is often found to be a consequence of either a lack of awareness or unaffordability of alternatives. “No, there are no restrictions now,” says Subramani, a flower vendor in Srirangam.
“The government has issued a list of alternatives, but even after so many years, we are clueless on which plastics to use and which are banned,” says R. Kandasamy, a fruit seller near Mannarpuram.
Vendors say that plastic bags are easily available in local stores at a minimal cost of ₹30 for a packet of 80. Supermarkets charge around ₹5 to ₹20 for the cloth bags, depending on its size. According to small business owners, only a few customers bring their own bags.
The usage of plastic bags and wrappers is not an uncommon sight in the city. “I used to wrap flowers with banana leaves, but customers insist on plastic bags. When we say we don’t have plastic bags, the customer just goes to the next shop that has one,” says Kamatchi, a flower seller in Crawford.
Environment activist K.C Neelamegam says, “Customers and vendors should realise that it is their responsibility to curb the use of banned plastics. The civic body should also take strict measures to keep the violators of the ban in check.”
A senior official with the Corporation says efforts to curb use of banned plastic items have been persistent, and that there has been a perceptible progress. “We’ve been conducting regular raids. We have also planned awareness programmes to help people adapt to the change.”
(Inputs from Jyotsna B Iyer)
