MCG launched plastic free campaign

Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has launched an awareness campaign to educate people about the use of single-use plastic (SUP) items that were banned in the city from July 1, said officials on Thursday.

Officials urged the residents to take part in the MCG’s campaign, while asking them to “always carry a cloth bag or a jute bag to the market”.

The central government banned manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified SUP items, that have low utility and high littering potential, across India from July 1, 2022. The banned SUP items include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron.

Gurugram mayor Madhu Azad launched the campaign at a private school in Sector 4 on Thursday, and urged school students, residents, shopkeepers, and residents’ welfare associations (RWA) to take part in the programme. “The manufacture, import, storage, distribution, sale and use of 19 types of SUP items have been banned by the central government. MCG teams will visit malls, schools, and markets across Gurugram to educate all about the harmful effects of the SUP items, and encourage all to use cloth and jute bags from now onwards,” Azad said, adding that “people should plant a tree each on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries and similar occasions to protect the environment”.

Subhash Yadav, nodal officer for environment and sustainability wing of MCG, said that SUP items are “very dangerous” for the environment. “They pollute the environment… It is our moral responsibility to stop the use of SUP items at the earliest, and inspire everyone to do the same,” Yadav said.

Plants and cloth bags were also distributed among the students during the programme on Thursday.