Single-use plastic will be banned in Guntur from July 1, Municipal Commissioner Keerthi Chekuri said.
The decision comes in the wake of indiscriminate usage of plastic bags and the harm being done to the environment. The Commissioner, along with Mayor Kavati Manohar Naidu, told reporters that the ban would be enforced from July 1 and asked residents to cooperate with the GMC in order to achieve the civic body’s goal of eliminating single-use plastic.
In the run-up to the ban, the GMC will organise awareness sessions in every division from June 7. Elected representatives, GMC staff and workers would take part in the awareness camps and educate people on the perils of single-use plastic.
“The ban would not only be beneficial for the environment but also protect us from harmful diseases such as cancer. The indiscriminate use of plastic bags can result in more harm than COVID-19. We will encourage traders to use jute bags and cloth bags as alternatives. We are also banning flex banners which are less than 100 microns in thickness. We are determined to turn Guntur into a no-plastic zone,” the Commissioner said.
On Wednesday, the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner held meetings with traders and sought their cooperation in the enforcement of the ban.
The Government of India notified the Plastic Waste (Manufacture and Handling) Rules, 2011 under Environment Protection Act, 1986. The Andhra Pradesh government also issued a G.O. Ms no. 46 in 2013 notifying the above rules. A.P. has also joined the other States in banning single-use plastic.
The 2013 notification has several features including a ban on coloured carry bags, use of bags made with pigments and colourants which are in conformity with Indian Standard: IS 9833:1981, ban on recycled plastics for storing, carrying, dispensing and packaging food stuff, ban on plastic bags less than 50 microns in thickness. The action includes a penalty of ₹50,000 on manufacturers making bags less than 50 microns in thickness, cancellation of licence to manufacture bags, and levying of fines on users in public places.
The Member Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, shall be the authority to enforce the provisions of these rules related to authorisation, manufacture and recycling and disposal and municipal authority in the local ULB will be the authority to enforce the provisions of these relating to use, collection, segregation, transportation and disposal of post-consumer plastic waste.
Guntur is a known trading and commercial hub, and is no stranger to the menace of plastic proliferation. Tonnes of plastic are found on street corners and at busy marketplaces, and the GMC’s intent to ban single-use plastic bags is expected to go a long way towards finding a solution to the problem.
