Mysuru: In a novel way to make Mysuru a plastic-free city, ‘Hasti,’ an initiative of students from DMS School in city, have started a green initiative to create awareness about using cloth bags.

The initiative was launched at the vegetable market along M.G. Road here this morning in the presence of Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner Shilpa Nag and Corporator M.V. Ramprasad.

About 300 cloth bags are kept on a stand, for people to use the bags for free for carrying vegetables to their homes and return them to the stand the next time they come to the market for purchase, according to S. Tejaswini, who along with her fellow student Shivashankar Ambedkar, leads the group of students who have formed ‘Hasti.’

All the students in the group have completed twelfth standard in Humanities at DMS School of Regional Institute of Eduction (RIE) this year.

Explaining the concept, Tejaswini said that a survey was conducted on plastic covers used by people to carry vegetables and fruits at markets, following which it was decided to provide cloth bags to create awareness among the public to prevent plastic use.

Pointing out that her group believes that even if people do not return the bags to the stand, they will use it regularly which fulfils the objective, she said that there are plans to make cloth bags out of torn and worn out sarees in the future.