KOCHI: In a move to turn eco-friendly, Mulanthuruthy grama panchayat has banned single-use plastic. Though they have been discouraging the use of plastic from October 2, the panchayat decided to impose fines on those who breach green protocol from November 1.
The panchayat had formed the Haritha Karma Sena 11 months ago, which collected the non-biodegradable wastes from houses and shops.
“When we conducted a survey, we were alarmed to find that patients with cancer, and liver and kidney ailments were on the rise. Banning plastic will protect the environment and the people. The central and state governments have several projects to curb plastic-use and the panchayat is fully supportive of that,” said Renji Kurian Kollinal, Mulanthuruthy panchayat president.
According to him, plastic and inorganic wastes in the panchayat will be collected and recycled.
Authorities have also installed biogas plants at several houses to handle organic wastes. The Haritha Karma Sena has 34 trained volunteers who collect plastic waste in all 16 wards.“
“We organised awareness camps to notify residents about the dangers of plastic,” said Renji.
The panchayat has collected around 27 tonnes of plastic waste in the last 11 months.
The Ward members had carried out a cleaning drive last month and around nine tonnes of waste was collected.
Instructions were sent to all houses, institutions, shops and auditoriums regarding the ban.
Plastic and disposable items are not allowed at public functions. The plastic waste collected will be processed at the shredding unit and a portion will be used for tarring roads. The rest will be given to other panchayats or agencies.
The panchayat is planning to give two cloth bags to every house between December 15 and 31. Nearly 10,000 bags will be required and 5,000 have been already made.
Rural Science and Technology Centre with the support of Mulanthuruthy Public Library and Kudumbasree are making the bags.
However, Renji Kurian affirms that it is difficult to completely curb the use of plastic soon. “We are very much focussed on our aim. Stringent action will be taken against those who use plastic or violate green protocol,” he said.
A good move
According to Jagath Shankar, who runs a bakery in Mulanthuruthy, the ban of single-use plastic by the panchayat is a great move. “People are aware of the hazards of plastic. So they are cooperating well. We are selling cloth bags at Rs 1 and 3, and people are open to buying it. The only issue is that people don’t wish to buy meat products in cloth bags,” he said.
“We will soon be introducing new bags for carrying meat products,” said Renji.
Waste dumping
from other panchayats
Currently, the main threat the panchayat faces is the waste dumped by people from other areas. “CCTV cameras will be installed throughout the panchayat to find the culprits. We are planning to meet the District Collector to request the CSR fund to install cameras. The visuals will be monitored by panchayat and police officials. Camera installation will also ensure the safety of children,” said Renji Kurian. Culprits will be fined Rs 25,000.