Kanhangad gears up to cut plastic use

Shops in municipality limits to get rid of plastic bags by November end

The Kanhangad municipality has chalked out an action plan to get rid of plastic bags from all shops under its limits by November end. Such bags were phased out from leading supermarkets in the town recently.

The municipality will do away with plastic-coated paper cups and plates from households, auditoriums and other venues of celebrations and have issued orders to authorities against the use of such articles from August, municipal chairman V.V. Rameshan has said.

The municipality will distribute cloth bags to all 400 households in Athiyambur ward at a function at the A.C. Kannan Nair Smaraka UP School on Friday.

The municipality would broaden the campaign in other areas by involving ward members and local voluntary bodies, he said.

In fish markets

To revive traditions of yesteryear the CPI(M)-ruled local body had decided to make use of leaves to pack fish with in the wholesale fish market here.

The fish vendors would have to pay the money they spend on plastic bags to those who bring them the leaves. Cloth bags would be made use of in fish markets.

Old clothes

Efforts were also under way to collect old clothes so that they could be converted to bags to be used in fish markets, he said.

Prizes

Households would be rewarded for delivering cleaned plastic materials through Kudumbasree units for recycling. While the municipality would give away the first three prizes to homemakers, those at the ward level could expect ten prizes for facilitating plastic material collection, he added.