Even as the ban on manufacture, import, storage and use of recycled polythene is in place, the district administration is yet to accelerate its administrative machinery for a crackdown.
Despite the blanket ban on polythene, use of carry bags has been widely noticed. From roadside vending zones to multi-storeyed shopping complexes, customers are handed over these banned carry bags everywhere without any hesitation.
Acting on the Orissa High Court order, the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) had banned use of polythene bags of less than 40 microns in the town in December, 2009. Awareness camps were organised by the civic body and traders warned of stringent action if found using poly bags. Although the practice stopped for a few months, today a large amount of polythene waste has become a major headache for the municipal authorities.
To check the menace, the Berhampur civic body had even banned sale of drinking water pouch to keep the city spick and span which does not have proper sewer lines. The large quantity of polythene waste from the lakhs of used drinking water pouches was clogging the sewer lines of the city.
As the polythene is non-biodegradable, till now waste dumps are being burnt in open air. It causes much air pollution, which is again a problem for the municipality.
The authorities had decided to send the segregated polythene waste from the city to the cement factory in Bargarh for its proper recycling. However, the practice was discontinued two truck loads of polythene waste were dispatched.
It may be noted that the city generates around 150 tonnes of solid waste daily and a chunk of it is polythene.
Comments
0 comment