Ban on plastic in Tirupati from today

Tirupati: Following the decision of the Union government, the district authorities have announced a ban on the use of 16 varieties of single-use plastic articles from Friday.

The articles include earbuds with plastic sticks, balloons with plastic sticks, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plastic plates, plastic cups/glasses, plastic cutlery, plastic screws, plastic tray, wrapping of packing film around sweet boxes, plastic/PVC banners of below 100 microns, wrapping or packing file around invitation cards, wrapping or packing file around cigarette packets and plastic stirrer.

Municipal Commissioner Anupama Anjali appealed to the people, particularly pilgrims, to cooperate with the civic administration for the successful implementation of plastic ban to make Tirupati a plastic-free zone. She warned that any violation would attract punishment or fine.

She further said the Centre had suggested to the petrochemical units not to supply any plastic raw material to the recycling industries. The Commissioner wanted business units not to use disposable plastic material.

To ensure the effective implementation of the ban, she said Municipal Health Officers will take up intense monitoring and will organise awareness programmes covering various sections of the people, including shopkeepers, general public, etc.