Eco-friendly Sal leaf plates to substitute banned plastic

Women Self Help Groups have been engaged in the production of the environment-friendly product to help the members augment their income.
Women SHG members making Sal leaf products at a unit in Sambalpur district. (Photo | EPS)
Women SHG members making Sal leaf products at a unit in Sambalpur district. (Photo | EPS)

SAMBALPUR: In a bid to provide an eco-friendly substitute to banned plastic disposables, the district administration has started manufacturing units of Sal leaf products.

Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been engaged in the production of the environment-friendly product to help the members augment their income. Though almost all types of plastics were banned in Sambalpur four years back, recently single-use plastics, disposable plastic plates, cups and glasses too have been banned.

Considering the situation, the district administration is striving to promote use of Sal leaf plates by manufacturing and selling it at a lesser price compared to private manufacturers. While the project was started on an experimental basis nearly six months back in a collaboration between District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Forest department, the district administration is planning to scale up production and provide proper marketing facilities for the product.

District Project Manager, Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) Puspashree Nayak said while the Forest department has provided equipment and training for the project, DRDA has mobilised the SHG members. Marketing of the product will be a joint effort. At present, more than 100 members from 22 SHGs have been engaged in plate making from Jhankarpali and Gumloi villages under Rengali block in the district, she informed.

Besides the usual leaf plates, the women also make machine-pressed plates which have a cardboard base and can be used for buffet. They also produce small bowls and trays with multiple cavities and of different sizes. Around five varieties of disposable leaf products are being manufactured in these units. Each woman gets paid for every plate she makes and she is free to make as many plates she wants in a day as per her capacity, Puspashree said.

Sambalpur DFO Sanjeet Kumar said the Forest department has spent Rs 2.16 lakh for providing training on collection, stitching and pressing. The training was imparted in four batches. In the first phase, 10 sets of equipment were provided at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.

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