Thiruvananthapuram: Non-woven polypropylene bags continue to be used

Thiruvananthapuram: A leading retail shop on MG Road, from which plastic carry bags were repeatedly seized after the ban, continues to give out non-woven polypropylene big shoppers to customers.  There have been three raids, but that has not deterred them from using plastic carry bags, nor has it encouraged the use of cloth or paper bags. Many other city retailers, which used to give out polyethylene bags have now gone to nonwoven polypropylene bags. This could be out of ignorance, as the texture of nonwoven polypropylene closely resembles cloth.

But in the case of shops where raids were conducted, Corporation officials had talked to the managements and shopkeepers about non-woven polypropylene. No fine was charged on the shop on MG Road, according to officials, as the waste management bylaw is yet to be in place.  But according to health standing committee chair K. Sreekumar, it was charged a hefty fine above Rs 5000.  “We have taken note of it, and will take sterner action the next time,” he said. 

Officials say they won’t conduct a raid in any of the shops during Onam, as it could affect the business badly.  With smaller street food outlets, the Corporation has been acting tougher.  The other day, from food trucks parked at Cotton Hill, they seized gas stoves stopping their business for one night.  When asked if this wasn’t double standards, Mr Sreekumar said the small-time street vendors were posing many other challenges. Many of them function without a license, do not pay taxes and need to be dealt with sternly, said an official.

Also, the many loads of plastic carry bags seized from big retail stores would cause a dent in their profits, they point out. A textile shop at Attakulangara had filed a case against the Corporation after they seized six lorries of plastic carry bags.  While Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 has banned the use of plastic carry bags under 50 microns, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has gone a step further and banned all plastic carry bags. This has been challenged by a few parties in court.