Plastic and non-woven polypropylene carry bags continue to be a looming presence in Kozhikode city despite the tall claims of putting an end to their use and replacing them with cloth bags.
It was on the last World Environment Day, June 5, that the Supermarkets Welfare Association of Kerala (SWAK) announced that supermarkets in the city would be shifting to cloth bags in no time. It had joined hands with Niravu Vengeri to supply cloth bags to all supermarkets and expected to implement the project completely in a month.
But the situation continues to be the same even after three months. Most supermarkets continue to use non-woven bags though the normal plastic carry bags are largely out of the picture. Many supermarket owners are under the impression that non-woven bags are made of cloth and hence acceptable. However, SWAK had suggested the use of non-woven bags only during the changing face, as the office-bearers are well aware of the harmful nature of the polypropylene bags.
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“There is a scarcity for cloth carry bags. The government had offered us a steady supply of cloth bags through Kudumbashree. But the stitching units of Kudumbashree have been unable to cater to the need,” said K.M. Haneefa, general secretary of SWAK. Niravu too had backed out saying it was uneconomical to provide the bags at ₹15 a piece, he said. Another stumbling block is customer pressure. “The customers are not ready to purchase cloth bags at ₹15. However, many have started bringing bags from home after we started charging ₹6 for non-woven bags,” Mr. Haneefa said.
SWAK is trying to salvage the situation by roping in bag manufacturers from other States. “We have been in touch with a manufacturer in Tirupur. Enough number of cloth bags will be made available soon and we will be able to keep our word by December.”