Plastic pandemic spreads unabated, Telangana govt seeks solution on Twitter
Hyderabad: The state government has been grappling with the issue of reducing the use of disposable plastic in the city. Earlier, it had taken many initiatives and in yet another effort, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) of Telangana has welcomed suggestions and recommendations for alternative solutions of plastic using the platform of Twitter.
Many citizens have shared their views on reducing plastic in the city. Some said that removal of plastic in the city should begin with shutting down the units that manufacture plastic. There are many illegal units that manufacture plastic. Others said that the people should begin using paper and jute bags to replace plastic.
Earlier, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), along with MAUD, banned manufacturing and disposing of plastic bags that are made with plastic of below 50 microns. However, according to Shiva Kumar, the vice-president of United Federation of Resident Welfare Association, the corporation had little success in enforcing the ban. “Citizens should have a role in such initiatives and only then the efforts would be sustainable,” he said.
Nobody picks up thin plastic, as it is of not much use, Kumar said. Yet in another initiative, the GHMC has asked shop owners to charge consumers Rs 3 to Rs 12 for plastic bags, with an idea that it would deter consumers from using plastic. However, the move did not succeed.
The government should get plastic manufacturers to gather disposable plastic for recycling. It would help both the purpose of reducing disposable plastic and the manufacturers, as they would get the material for recycling, Prof. Shyam Sundar, an agricultural scientist and environmentalist said. He added that recycling should be made profitable by giving incentives.
According to W.G. Prasanna, a PCB expert, the government should stop allowing printing names of brands on the plastic bags. He said that advertisements encourage businesses to use more plastic bags. He added that alternative weighing methods should be encouraged to reduce packaging and using dispensers. The process should be facilitating both the buyer and the seller.
The GHMC has been promoting the usage of lunch and tiffin boxes for carrying chicken and meat from shops as it would help to stop the usage of plastic packaging of meat.
