Beating plastic pollution the focus of this year's World Environment Day
MADURAI: In the backdrop of this year's World Environment Day theme being 'Beat Plastic Pollution', the city corporation has installed special bins to collect plastic waste and allotted Rs 5 lakh for placing machines to collect plastic bottles at five locations. Various awareness programmes will also be held on Monday.
The use of plastic bags across the nation was banned by the union government in 2022, and the Tamil Nadu government has also been promoting cloth bags through the 'Manjapai Movement'. Despite all these efforts, the use of banned single-use plastic products is rampant in shops, especially eateries, across the state.
To mark World Environment Day on June 5 and as part of the Swachh Bharat mission, the Madurai city corporation has been taking a series of measures toward plastic eradication in the last couple of weeks. Firstly, the civic body emphasised the importance of garbage segregation in all the wards and even placed different coloured bins for garbage collection in the zones. Secondly, the city corporation conducted special drives, collection of plastic waste and plastic bags at commercial places, and replaced them with cloth bags and created awareness among the stakeholders.
In a recent corporation council meeting, corporation Mayor Indirani Ponvasanth approved the 'Negili illa Madurai' (plastic-free Madurai) scheme for establishing special collection centres at public places like bus stands and commercial spots. People who give their plastic bottles at the centre will receive Rs 1/per bottle as an incentive. The centres will be established in all five zones in Madurai at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.
On Sunday, the civic body conducted a 'flash mob' in a bus stand in Zone 1 to create awareness among the people on the importance of garbage segregation. "A large amount of plastic wastes. especially carry bags, are being dumped on the banks of Vaigai River. The raised concrete banks of the river have made the cleaning of wastes in the river much harder," said Raja, an environment activist attached to the Vaigai Makkal Iyakkam.
Meanwhile, small-time traders said shops are still using plastic carry bags, as they are much cheaper and have to be given free of cost to the customers. "Cloth bags cost between Rs 5 and Rs 10, and customers don't want to buy this every time they make a purchase. If we are provided an alternative and affordable solution, we will surely stop using plastic bags," they said.