Himachal bans plastic cups, plates

SHIMLA - After imposing a ban on the use of all types of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable materials, Himachal Pradesh has decided to ban disposable plastic products from August this year, an official said here Saturday.

“From Aug 15, there would a complete ban on the storage and use of non-biodegradable disposable plastic products like plastic cups, plates and glasses,” a government spokesperson told IANS.

He said a decision in this regard was taken by the cabinet, and violators will be fined up to Rs.5,000.

The state Oct 2, 2009 imposed a ban on the production, storage, use, sale and distribution of all types of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable material.

After imposing the ban on polythene bags, the government launched a campaign “Polythene Hatao, Paryavaran Bachao” (Remove polythene, Save environment) across the state in three phases.

Under the campaign, 311 tonnes of plastic waste was collected from 1,675 ‘hotspots’.

All the waste plastic thus collected, including carry bags, disposable cups, laminated plastics like packets of chips, pan masala, aluminium foil and packaging material used for biscuits, chocolates, milk and grocery items, are used in road surfacing.

The state’s Public Works Department (PWD) has built a road stretch of 40 km on a pilot basis by using 40 tonnes of shredded plastic waste.

Earlier this month, a central team toured the state to study the implementation of the anti-polythene drive.

An official said the team, if satisfied with the implementation, would nominate the state for the Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in public service.