142 tonnes of plastic waste collected in hyderabad city

Hyderabad: With an aim to make Hyderabad a plastic-free city, the GHMC officials have been conducting special drives for the past two months. They have collected 142 MT of plastic through these drives. Welfare associations, colony associations, activists and people extended their support to the officials in the drive.

After the start of flogging process on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi, 1,850 kg of plastic was collected in two days. This plastic collected has been given to ACP cements, whereas the 142 MT of plastic has been sold to ITC at Rs 2 per kg.

The GHMC has been conducting several awareness programmes to reduce the single use plastic and implementing ban on plastic covers with less than 50 microns thickness. They conducted awareness programmes for students in 7,659 schools on ill-effects of non-biodegradable plastic use.

The officials conducted signature drive, where students were made to tale pledge that they would not use plastic bags, pet bottles, straws and disposable items. Announcements were made weekly markets and Rythu bazaars to use cloth and jute bags instead of plastic and polythene covers. Usage of plastic bags, pet bottles, straws, spoons, cups and other disposable items was totally banned in zonal and circle offices of GHMC, following the words directions of GHMC Commissioner.

The Corporation was also trying to provide employment and entrepreneurship to women from Self Help Groups and Self Employment Teams to make city plastic-free. Cloth and jute bag manufacturers were being encouraged to start self employment teams.