Crackdown on banned plastic materials

The inspections were led by four health inspectors and 16 junior health inspectors (JHIs).
A man throwing a disposable cup into the bin after drinking tea. Single-use plastic items have been banned by the city corporation | B P Deepu
A man throwing a disposable cup into the bin after drinking tea. Single-use plastic items have been banned by the city corporation | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Enforcing ban on single-use plastics, the health squad of the city corporation conducted inspections in about 157 different commercial establishments and seized 156 kilograms of banned plastic materials. The health squad officers pointed out that the inspections will be carried out till the end of this month and then strict action will be taken if the violations are repeated.

The inspections were led by four health inspectors and 16 junior health inspectors (JHIs). The plastic materials seized during the inspection included carry bags, plastic-coated disposables such as cups and spoons. Before enforcing the ban on single-use plastics, the city corporation had held a three-day expo on plastic alternatives and also conducted a meeting with the representatives of the Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi. “Several awareness campaigns were also held in various parts of the city before enforcing the ban. However, many shop and hotel owners justified themselves saying that banning the disposables is not a thoughtful decision, especially in the wake of the pandemic,” said a health inspector of the corporation.

The health inspector says, “Though the disposables are easier to handle when compared to other products, people don’t understand the harmful impact of its use on human health and the environment. On an average, more than 1.5 lakh disposables arrive in the market everyday. However, there are no steps taken to dispose it of in a proper manner. Thus, many of these plastic materials end up in water bodies and near roadsides.”

Meanwhile, the hotel owners opine that banning single-use plastic amid the pandemic will be a severe blow to the business which is already in crisis. “We are ready to adhere to the guidelines of the city corporation. However, it is not reasonable to ban the use of disposables especially in such a situation when covid cases are increasing. This will affect business to a great extent,” said Jeevan Joseph, a hotel owner. Apart from the action plan prepared by the corporation to control the use of single-use plastics, a dry waste collection drive and a clean-up campaign is being planned. On Saturday, waste materials will be collected. This will be followed by collection of glass waste and collection of CFL and tube lights on January 29.

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