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Government premises to be free of plastics by Sept 15
While the State-wide ban on disposable plastic comes into force only from January 1 next year, government offices will be the first to discard ‘use and throw’ plastic.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
According to Santhosh Babu, a member of the steering committee formed to monitor the implementation of the ban, government institutions such as schools, colleges, temples and other entities have been given a deadline of September 15 to ban disposable plastic.
“This is the preparatory phase for the enforcement of the ban next year. We decided that since we are enforcing the ban, we should set an example. Learning begins at home – so in my house, we have stopped using disposable plastic and this has been enforced in the poompuhar outlet,” Babu said.
Stressing on the need to usher in a behavioural change with government officials leading from the front, Babu said, “We avoided disposable plastics at a recent official event marking the launch of the app, logo and website for plastic-free Tamil Nadu.”
On World Environment Day this year, a notification was issued for imposing a ban on the manufacture, storage, supply, sale and use of ‘disposable’ plastic irrespective of thickness from January 1, 2019.
A steering committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to monitor the overall implementation of the ban.
The committee includes P Amudha, commissioner of Food Safety, Santhosh Babu, IT secretary and Rajendra Ratnoo, commissioner, Disaster Management.
The government, meanwhile, is conducting studies to explore alternatives to disposable plastic. “It is a question of demand and supply. There are possibilities of alternatives – for example, there is an IIT student who has tied up with garment export units. They donate waste cloth which he then converts into bags by engaging self-help groups. If the cloth is donated as a part of CSR, the price of production comes down from Rs 12 to Rs 3,” Babu said.
It is possible to have alternatives, which can also generate income for the self-help groups. But as of now, we are conducting feasibility studies and then will can identify the alternatives, he added.
The government has also sanctioned Rs 54 lakh to hold workshops across the State for government departments, industries, business associations and NGOs to achieve the goal of ditching plastics for a greener future.
Goal to go plastic free
- The government is exploring the possibility of incentives for manufacture of alternatives to plastic
- Collection and recycling mechanism is to be in place in all public places such as malls, cinema theatres, wedding halls, parks, beaches, hotels etc and awareness programs should be conducted
- List of banned plastic items and alternatives will be displayed in the website of various government bodies and the dedicated website for plastic free TN
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