KOLLAM: Plastic bags are slowly disappearing from public places with the ban on plastic carry bags of size below 50 microns coming into force in the district from April 1. The people have started switching over to alternative means to carry goods from market places and other business centres. Even fish is taken home from the market in carriers brought from houses. In bakeries, the brown packing paper of the good old days is back. “The success of the ban depends on the active participation of the LSGDs through constant monitoring and follow-up in shops and marketplaces. Raids should be continued to ensure sustainability. The efforts taken by the Suchitwa Mission are now fruitful,” Mr G. Krishnakumar, assistant development commissioner and district coordinator of Suchitwa Mission, Kollam, told DC.
The administration has implemented the ban in accordance with the centre’s plastic waste (management and handling) rules of 2016. The ban will help protect environment by preventing the discarded plastic bags from piling up in water bodies. Meanwhile, the move has been opposed by a faction of traders affiliated to the Kerala Samsthana Vyapari Vyavasayi Samiti citing inconvenience. The traders conducted a protest march in front of the district administration on Tuesday. To use the plastic bags above 50 microns, the traders, including street vendors, should register with the respective LSG departments by paying '4,000 a month as plastic waste maintenance charges. The district Suchithwa Mission has also sensitised over 500 Kudumbasree neighbourhood groups to hit the markets with eco-friendly alternatives.
