The city Corporation’s health squad on Monday seized 156 kilograms of banned plastic materials from various commercial establishments on the first day of enforcement of plastic ban.
The use of plastic materials up to 120 microns has been banned. The checks were carried out across 125 commercial establishments by teams led by four health inspectors and consisting of 16 junior health inspectors (JHIs).
Plastic carry bags, cups, plates and spoons were seized in the inspection. Prior to the enforcement of the ban, the Corporation had held meetings with Vyapari Vyavasayi organisations. An exhibition of alternatives to plastic products was also organised in the city. The health inspectors had held awareness campaigns in various areas. The squads will carry out checks in shops and other commercial establishments in the coming days too.
Meanwhile, a special council meeting of the Corporation, held partially online, laid out an action plan for the drive to control the use of single-use plastics. A massive non-biodegradable waste collection and clean-up campaign is being planned. The ward councillors have to convene meetings, along with the JHIs, to decide on the local-level collection plan. Old clothes, bags and footwear have to be collected at the local collection centres on January 22. Glass waste will be similarly collected on January 29.
On January 30, a cleaning campaign will be organised to remove all the plastic waste from public spaces in the city in the 100 wards. The cleaning programmes will be led at the ward level by the respective councillors from 7 a.m. onwards. Residents’ associations, NCC, NSS, Scout and Guide, youth clubs, NGOs, political and youth organisations, and other volunteers, will be part of the cleaning drive. On February 5, CFL bulbs and tubes will be collected at the ward-level collection centres.
The meeting also decided to step up the functioning of the Haritha Karma Senas for local-level waste management in all the 100 wards of the Corporation. Currently, the senas are functioning in 41 wards with 443 members in total collecting waste from 14,375 households.
