Thiruvananthapuram: On Saturday, the capital city will join the rest of the world in observing International Plastic Bag-free Day, even as environmental groups here have raised the demand for a total ban on plastic bags to check the environmental hazards caused by the material.
The slogan of this years International Plastic Bag-free Day is �Get the Bag out of your head.
The highlight of the days programme in the city is a meeting of various groups that produce paper bags, cloth bags and other eco-friendly options to plastic bags. The event is being organised by Thanal and Zero Waste Centre.
The two organisations have urged the government to enforce a total ban on plastic carry bags. Recently, Kanyakumari district enforced such a ban through local bodies, they point out.
�Sustainable materials and products to replace plastic carry bags are available in the market. Many groups across the State are producing paper bags, cloth bags and bags made of various natural fibres. But these will never find a proper market till there is a ban on plastic bags, says R. Sridhar, coordinator, Thanal. The organisations are also demanding social and governmental support to manufacture and market products to substitute plastic bags. They say encouragement for such products would open up job opportunities at the local level.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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