Empty plastic bottles in Vijayapura today are currency of sorts — at least in the four Indira Canteens in the city. In an attempt to discourage the use of plastic, the city corporation is offering a cup of tea in exchange for four plastic bottles at these canteens.
“This is a programme to complement the nationwide drive launched to discourage single-use plastic,” said Harsha Shetty, Commissioner of the corporation. For the first month of the programme, the Officers’ Club of the City has decided to bear expenditure on the tea.
This initiative was taken up following an alarming increase in use of plastic. The corporation seized around 14 tonnes of plastic from retail and wholesale shops recently in a drive, said the Commissioner. Around 400 kg of plastic is collected at the solid waste management site every day.
He said the corporation has entered into an agreement with JK Cement factory of Bagalkot to collect plastic to be mixed with cement, which gives more strength to the cement.
Mr. Shetty said though the corporation is trying to stop people from using plastic, the signs as of now are not encouraging. “I urge people to cooperate with us. They are also welcome to offer any suggestion to stop environment degradation through the use of plastic,” he said.
