Non biodegradable disposables banned across J&K

Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday imposed ban on the non-biodegradable disposable items being used in the daily chores.
The department of forest, environment and ecology issued a notification ordering complete ban on the disposable articles made of non-biodegradable material within the territorial jurisdiction of the state.

“Government imposed complete ban on (the) articles made of non-biodegradable material listed in the schedule of the said Act, within the territorial jurisdiction of the state,” an official statement reads.
The articles include disposable plates, cups, bowls, tumblers, spoons, forks and knives.

The order shall be deemed to be in force after one month from the date of its publication in the Government Gazette.
“Various steps have been undertaken to eliminate single-use plastic items. These steps include banning of single-use plastic and disposable material,” Manoj Kumar Divedi, secretary forest, ecology and environment department told Kashmir Post.

He said the government also plans to conduct awareness drive for promoting use of reusable alternatives of the plastic products.
Earlier this month, the general administration department asked government offices to dispense with the use of single use plastic water bottles in their respective offices and make alternative arrangements for safe drinking water that does not generate plastic waste.

Bottles, dispensers, containers will be allowed in government offices, instead water bottles of alternative materials like glass, steel, aluminium, etc.
Earlier, around 20 states have completely or partially banned the use of plastic, Uttar Pradesh being the latest.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates, India generates as much as 10,000 tonne per day plastic waste with per capita generation of up to 5.7 kilos of plastic waste per annum, which is annually growing at a rate of 8-10 per cent.