DHARMAPURI: Environmentalists urged the district administration and the municipality to keep small vendors in check alleging that there has been a steady increase in the use of polythene covers. A total of 14 plastic items including one-time use of plastic bags were banned in 2019 by the State. Speaking to TNIE, Umashankar, a member of Dharmapuri People's Forum, said, "The State has only permitted polythene bags of less than 50 microns to be used and large scale businesses, eateries and hotels adapted to this. Small-scale shops still use polythene bags above one hundred microns and since polythene bags are cheaper in other States they source the bags from there and use it here."
Umashankar added that when unchecked, these plastic covers clog the drainage channels and urged the administration to levy strict fines when someone flouts the rules.
Thiruvalluvan, a resident of Dharmapuri, said tea shops were another source for the plastic influx. He noted that people were opting for paper cups ever since the pandemic and many shops were using plastic-coated cups.
Municipality sanitary inspector Ramanacharan said, "On average, we have about 22 tonnes of waste generated and plastic waste accounts for anywhere between 600 kg and a tonne. The one-time plastic has drastically reduced in the one and half period. While there may be a small surge owing to the festival season, there is no alarming increase. We will form teams and look into the matter by monitoring shops."