ITANAGAR, 29 Jul: The environment, forest & climate change (EF&CC) department has called for promoting nature-based products as alternatives to banned single-use plastic (SUP) items.
On Thursday, the department held a consultative meeting with the stakeholders at the civil secretariat here to identify and promote products that can substitute SUP items.
During the meeting, the stakeholders decided to “aggressively promote nature-based products such as bamboo and cane products, paper bags, recycled paper bags, cloth bags, kokam/okam, banana leaves and talang/telli (Hedichyium sp) as alternatives to the banned items,” the State Climate Cell (SCC) informed in a release.
They further decided to organise aggressive awareness campaigns at institutional as well as community levels to promote non-plastic dustbins in towns/municipalities, hastening promotion of substitute products, etc.
It was also decided that different mass media will be involved to create awareness about the environmental damages caused by SUP items.
Earlier, officials of the State Bamboo Mission presented an exhaustive list of bamboo- and cane-based finished products that can substitute some of the banned SUP items.
Officials of the State Rural Livelihoods Mission briefed the stakeholders on the “prospects of harnessing the potential of women SHGs for development and promotion of the alternative products,” the SCC said.
The meeting was chaired by EF&CC Principal Secretary Sharat Chauhan.
The Centre has banned the use of SUP items with effect from 1 July to reduce plastic waste.
The banned items include earbuds, straws plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutleries including forks, spoons, knives, trays, wrapping or packaging films, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, and stirrers.
