Fresh anti-plastic drive to kick off in Siliguri on 1 July

SNS, SILIGURI 23 JUNE 2022: Along with the Centre, which has banned the use of 'single use plastic' across the country from 1 July, the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) is also set to resume its drive against plastic carry bags on the same day. The civic body is conducting campaigns against the use of plastic bags and thermocol.

"The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities, shall be prohibited with effect from 1st July, 2022," says a notification issued by the ministry for environment, forest and climate change. 

Single-use plastic refers to plastic items that are used once and discarded. The ministry had already banned polythene bags under 75 microns in September 2021, expanding the limit

from the earlier 50 microns. From December, the ban will be extended to polythene bags under 120 microns. The use of plastic bags has been rampant in Siliguri due to lack of proper monitoring, and inconsistent drives, environmental activists have underlined.

"We have started a fresh campaign against the use of plastic carry bags from the beginning of this month. All the relevant modes of campaigns have been taken up. We will launch a fresh drive from 1 June," said the mayor-in-charge of the SMC, Ranjan Sarkar.

The items on which the Central Pollution Control Board have announced a ban from 1 July including earbuds, balloon sticks, candy and ice cream sticks, cutlery items including plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, trays; sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packs, PVC banners measuring under 110 microns and polystyrene for decoration.

In an order issued by the environment department, the Bengal government had ordered a blanket ban on plastic carry bags in the Siliguri Sub-division on 24 November, 2015. It had banned the use, storing and manufacturing of polythene/plastic carry bags in the town. Following the order, the previous Left-run civic board had reinforced the ban. Earlier, plastic carry bags had been banned in the SMC area during the tenure of the Congress-run civic board in 2010.The bags, however, resurfaced later.

Civic body officials said it could be easier to reinforce the ban when it will be imposed nationwide.

The civic campaign has highlighted that people should use bags made of jute or cotton. "We are encouraging people to use cloth bags," said civic body commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia.