Raids to curb plastic menace

KOLKATA: With repeated failures to implement the ban on plastic bags less than 40 microns thick, the state plastic management committee has decided to take a tough stand.
The authorities have sought police help to raid the city's plastic manufacturing units and shops to clamp down on the use of plastic packets less than 40 microns thick.
State plastic management committee chief, Biswajit Mukherjee, who is also law officer of the state environment department, said they would soon raids units manufacturing plastic packets."We have tied up with KMC and police to start the drive. Besides raiding manufacturers of plastic packet, we will also raids shops that sell their products in plastic packets less than 40 microns thick. The drive will be on elsewhere in the state too," he said.
Earlier, the state government had issued orders banning plastic packets less than 40 microns thick on the ground that they are a hazard to the environment. The authorities had also planned to impose spot fines on offenders. However, lack of monitoring thwarted the initiative and the ban was not implemented.
The environment department has also asked all civic bodies and municipalities in the state to set up plastic recycling units in areas under their jurisdiction so that plastic waste could be recycled. However, only a few civic bodies like Kalyani Municipality have worked on plans for proper discharge of plastic waste.