Plastic water bottles banned in govt meetings

PATNA: Packaged plastic water bottles will not be used in any state government or its departments’ meeting. Bihar’s chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh has directed the heads of all government departments to follow it strictly in meetings, events and seminars organized by them. Officials have been directed to serve purified water using steel tumblers and glasses.
To ensure its effective implementation, no bills related to purchase of packaged water bottles will be cleared.Incidentally, the state forests and environment department had banned the use of packaged non-biodegradable plastic water bottles in all its offices last year but it could not be enforced in any department.
Chief engineer-cum-special secretary of building construction department, Rajendra Prasad Choudhary, wrote a letter on July 12 to all its chief engineers and officials concerned not to use PET (polyethylene terephthalate) water bottles in any of the meetings or events.
“Non-biodegradable waste not only chokes the sewage, but also adversely impacts the environment. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities and used in the production of polycarbonate plastics,” the chief secretary told TOI. BPA chemical is used in making PET bottles.
“Polycarbonate plastics have many applications, including their use in some food and drink packaging, e.g. water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical devices,” he pointed out.
The primary source of exposure to BPA for most people is through diet. While air, dust and water are the other possible sources of exposure, BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority of daily human exposure, he said.
A senior government official admitted that a lot more needs to be done to control non-biodegradable plastic waste in the state.
A green campaigner, Munna Jha, said, “Plastic is getting us choked and the days are not far off when life will come to a standstill because of our callous habit of littering plastic. Unfortunately, there has been no campaign against plastic littering.”