16 lakh cloth bags to be distributed to 7,34,905 houses free of cost

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru District Administration is all set to strictly enforce the ban on single-use plastic items from tomorrow (Apr. 5). 

Single use plastic materials such as polythene/ plastic/ polypropylene carry bags, polythene plastic cups, polythene plastic plates and plastic sheet pouches used to wrap cooked food have been banned.

However, plastic items such as non-woven polypropylene bags, plastic-coated paper cups, plastic sheet used for industrial packing, plastic sheet used for packing of pulses, cereals, medicine and milk, multi-layered packaging materials, cling film used for wrapping food, plastic bag of more than 40X50 cm in size used for collection and disposal of solid waste and biomedical waste and plastic bags used in horticulture nurseries would be allowed to be sold and stocked.

The Administration had given manufacturers, distributors, and consumers time to dispose their existing stock and come up with alternatives to plastic usage. Also, many raids have been conducted on plastic storehouses in many marketplaces including Shivarampet. Rules will be enforced to comply with the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016.

As a prelude to the plastic ban, the Mysuru City Corporation and the District Administration have come together to distribute 16 lakh cloth bags to 7,34,905 houses and each house would get two bags each free of cost. The bags will have the capacity to carry 5 kg and 10 kg materials like fruits, meat and groceries. All the bags have a branding titled ‘Naanu Parisara Snehi’ (‘I am environment friendly’). 

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rohini Sindhuri told media persons at her office yesterday that these bags will also be distributed to vendors and also at major temples and be made available at a subsidised rate. 

Cloth bags are being prepared by women SHGs and Karnataka State Handloom Development Corporation and will be distributed to all households in the district, DC Rohini Sindhuri said.

While there are 2.2 lakh households in the MCC limits, about 4.4 lakh cloth bags will be distributed. The number of households in nine Town Panchayats across the district has been pegged at 2.89 lakh and about 5.78 lakh cloth bags will be distributed. In rural areas, there are 4.45 lakh households spread across eight taluks and the authorities plan to distribute 8.91 lakh cloth bags to provide the public an alternative to plastic carry bags, the DC said. 

“We have tailoring units attached to SHGs where the production of bags will take place. Also, we give the material to the workers and they bring back finished products. Hundreds of women would be roped in for the job,” she said adding that business community and vendors will also be directed to shift to the use of cloth bags and we want the public to volunteer to shun the use of plastic bags to make the drive a success and ensure that the plastic waste is reduced. 

At religious places including Chamundi Hill and Srikanteshwara Swamy Temple at Nanjangud, small bags would be distributed to all shops selling puja materials. “We will do this for two months till the trend sets in. Each bag will cost Rs. 5 and after two months, shopkeepers are expected to buy bags and sell them to the devotees,” the DC added. 

MCC Commissioner Shilpa Nag, Health Officer Dr. D.G. Nagaraj and Zilla Panchayat CEO M.A. Yogesh were present.