TIRUPATI: In another step towards making Tirumala plastic-free, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come up with biodegradable laddu bags.DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy, along with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer KS Jawahar Reddy and Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy, inaugurated an exclusive sales counter of eco-friendly laddu bags at Tirumala on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, Satheesh Reddy said the DRDO’s Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in Hyderabad has been doing extensive research to invent the best environmental friendly replacement for hazardous plastic.
“To minimise single-use plastic, we have come up with the eco-friendly bags made of corn starch, which degrade naturally within 90 days and it is not harmful even if cattle consume them. After extensive research and rigorous testing of the material, we have introduced the laddu bags at Tirumala,” he said.
Polythene bags made from petrochemicals are toxic to environment and they take nearly 200 years to degrade. In contrast, the bags made of corn starch are eco-friendly and cost-effective, he added.Jawahar Reddy described the launch of biodegradable bags as an eco-friendly initiative of the DRDO.
“After observing the response from pilgrims for a few days, we are planning to commence the sale of biodegradable laddu bags at Tirumala in a full-fledged manner,” the TTD EO said.Chief Vigilance and Security Officer Gopinath Jatti, ASL Director M Ram Manohar Babu and Chief Scientist Veera Brahmam were present. The TTD had banned plastic carry bags at Tirumala and stopped their sale at laddu and other prasadam counters. It has roped in several organisations to sell eco-friendly jute and cloth bags and biodegradable bags embedded with seeds of different vegetables and fruit-bearing plants.