SANJAYNAGAR:The Rent-a-Bag campaign, which kicked off in Sanjaynagar last December but failed to make any progress due to paucity of funds, is all set to gain momentum.
Vignan Gowda, who ideated this anti-plastic initiative, told City Express, “In a week, we will begin distributing ID cards to shops between the post office and Krishna Bhavan Sweets, a distance of around 200 to 300 metres. Around 100 shops will be given such cards. The initiative will commence a week after that.”
After receiving their cards, the shopkeepers can contact Gowda and his team and they will be allotted the requested number of cloth/cotton bags. The aim is to discourage people from using plastic bags. In January, with the poor garbage situation in mind, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah banned the use of plastic in Bengaluru.
The ban has played a big role in facilitating the campaign, Gowda said. “In fact, I myself have accompanied BBMP officers so that I can spread awareness about not using plastic bags. This time, we have received funding of up to Rs 3 lakh from various sources. With that, we will buy around 20,000 cloth bags of two sizes. Based on the demand from shopkeepers, we will start to distribute these bags next week,” he said.
The process is simple. Those who want to purchase items from the shops will have to bring their own bags, preferably cloth ones. In case they do not have a cloth bag, the shopkeeper will give them a bag for Rs 15. The bags can then be returned to the shopkeeper
and the amount will be refunded. Once the idea gains popularity, other shops in the neighbourhood will be added, Gowda said.
“In fact, I have received calls from around 20 localities in the city asking for my assistance to start a similar campaign. I have also received calls from places like Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Hoskote, Malur and other areas. When the campaign was launched, the bags were distributed in no time to the shopkeepers and they were very eager to start off. The response from both the shopkeepers and the citizens has been phenomenal,” said Gowda.
However, he believes the support of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is imperative for the campaign to sustain itself. He said fines have to be imposed on anyone using plastic bags with thickness of less than 40 microns, as prescribed by the Supreme Court.
Those looking to start a similar campaign in their locality may contact Gowda at vignan.n@hotmail.com.
BORROW-A-BAG INITIATIVE
Stonesoup, a city-based organisation, has started a similar campaign called Borrow-a-Bag. They ran a successful pilot project in areas like Sarjapur, HSR Layout and Outer Ring Road, and have now decided to launch the drive across Bengaluru. According to their website, they have the support of 20 to 30 shopkeepers. The only real difference between Rent-a Bag and Borrow-a-Bag is that the latter uses cloth bags of three sizes. For more details, log on to www.stonesoup.in.