Tiruchy corporation to rope in NGOs to make bags from old clothes
TIRUCHY: The city corporation has so far collected 900 kg of clothes as part of its Refuse, Recycle, Reuse (RRR) initiative. According to senior officials, the clothes collected will as per plan be handed over to NGOs to make bags out of them. The bags will then be given away free of cost to vendors at uzhavar sandhais.
Further, sources said the civic body has so far collected 40,000 kg of recyclable materials through the bins placed in front of micro-compost centres as part of the initiative. According to officials, plans are now in place to collect used toys for recycling. "It is a continuous programme to guarantee recycling and reduce waste generation.
We're already getting positive feedback about it. To increase the scheme's benefits, a number of measures are in the pipeline. Collecting used toys and giving them for recycling is one such idea. The recycled toys will be donated to schools or anganwadis," a senior official said.
Meanwhile, residents stressed the need to provide cloth bags to small vendors and retailers at a fair price. "It is pointless to hold retailers or vendors responsible for providing plastic bags. A biodegradable bag now costs about Rs 4. Small vendors and retailers cannot afford such a price.
Thus, they are compelled to use the less expensive plastic bags. While the idea of recycling cloth to make bags is commendable, all commercial places require a large supply of reasonably priced cloth bags. Therefore, the corporation needs to take further steps to guarantee it," said Noor Mohamed of Woraiyur.