Taking the lead in implementing the ban on use of single-use plastics imposed by the Tamil Nadu government from January 2019, the district administration said that the use of such plastics would be stopped in all government offices from Monday.

Speaking to the media here on Friday, Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao said that the list of 14 types of plastic items to be banned had been shared with all senior officials and they had been asked to avoid their use. He said the district administration would launch a slew of measures in the course of six months to gradually reduce the use of these plastic items so that the district could become totally free from these single-use plastic items from January 1, 2019 when the State government’s ban would come into effect.

Stating that a crucial factor was to change the habit of people, who had become so used to single-use plastics like carry bags and tea cups, he said that measures to wean people away would include massive awareness campaigns.

“We will be promoting manufacture of alternative materials to these items like jute bags, paper straws, cutlery made of bamboo, wooden or earthern materials,” he said. Various government schemes that provide subsidies to entrepreneurs would be utilised to encourage production of these alternatives.

Acknowledging that attempts to make certain areas in city “plastic-free” had received moderate success, he said that the administration would involve all stakeholders through regular interaction to make it a success this time.

Source: Read Full Article