VIJAYAWADA: With Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu setting the course to free Andhra Pradesh of single-use plastic by June 5, 2026 (World Environment Day), the State government will begin by banning single-use plastic at the Secretariat from August 15 under the slogan Say No to Single-Use Plastic’.
Chief Secretary K Vijayanand met departmental secretaries on Tuesday to finalise steps for the ban at the administrative hub. He said harmful single-use plastic items, including carry bags, water bottles, glasses, plates, cups, spoons, forks, phenol bottles, and cans, will be prohibited.
The CRDA, MEPMA, and Swachhandra departments will coordinate to ensure effective implementation. Only glass and stainless steel bottles will be permitted for drinking water inside the Secretariat.
Vijayanand instructed all secretaries and department heads to issue orders to their staff to ensure compliance, adding that visitors must also follow the ban.
He emphasised that the initiative aims to set a precedent for other government offices and public institutions across the State, forming part of a phased approach towards eliminating single-use plastic entirely by 2026.
Earlier, Municipal Administration Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar presented alternative arrangements prepared over the past 45 days to replace banned items.