Three years on, single-use plastic ban still ineffective
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Patna: Three years after the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) banned single-use plastic (SUP), Patna continues to struggle with enforcement. Street vendors and shopkeepers openly hand out SUP carry bags.
Vegetable and fruit sellers, flower vendors and sweet shops are among the main users.
The ban, introduced on July 1, 2022, initially had impact, said Ashok Ghosh, former BSPCB chairman. "Right after the law got implemented, it was quite successful but, over time, it got diluted and people have now completely forgotten about it," he added.
Ghosh called for stricter enforcement by the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the district magistrate's office.
"Factories that manufacture plastic should be kept in check and both the buyer, seller and user of plastic must be reprimanded heavily," he added.
Ghosh, who has researched micro and nanoplastics, warned that plastic takes 20-500 years to break down. "When the plastic microns mix with the soil, it enters the food chain. The microplastic even goes airborne, going directly into the lungs," he said, urging people to use steel and copper vessels.
by Taboola
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Cost and convenience have driven many vendors back to plastic. "Cloth bags come for Rs 2, whereas we can get plastic packets for as cheap as 50 paisa," said Sunita Devi, a vegetable seller. Nita Devi, a fruit vendor, said customers refused cloth bags because they tore easily.
Residents say sporadic action is ineffective. "A few raids once a year are not enough," said Puja Chauhan of Mithapur.
PMC officials said a fresh campaign will begin on Aug 15 to make the capital SUP-free. Reverse vending machines will be installed, starting at Kadamkuan, to collect and recycle used plastic, they added. Vendors caught using SUPs will face fines from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.
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