Golden Temple Sets An Example, Will Go Completely Off Plastic Starting This April
From April 1 , Golden Temple will replace the use of plastic carry bags with biodegradable carry bags keeping in mind environmental concerns.
From April 1 , Golden Temple will replace the use of plastic carry bags with biodegradable carry bags keeping in mind environmental concerns.
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB ) chairman K S Pannu who held a meeting with Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials on Thursday to impress upon them to switch over to compostable carry bags in the Golden Temple complex and in all the Gurudwaras in Punjab.
¡°Initially all the bulk consumers of carry bags shall be impressed upon to switch over to compostable carry bags¡± said Pannu.
bccl
SGPC¡¯s chief secretary Dr Roop Singh informed that they would discard plastic bags and switch over to bags made of corn and wheat.
As much as 200 quintals of plastic bags were used at the Golden Temple per year along with 65 quintals of plastic bags used for packing of ¡®Pinni Parshad¡¯, he added.
Plastic carry bags in Punjab are a major environmental hazard as they clog drains, and sewers leading to health hazards and damage the environment.
bccl/representational image
Punjab had imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bags in the state, but the supply and use of plastic carry bags could not be controlled as there was a huge demand from the public for such carry bags, admitted Pannu.
He informed that government had allowed the import of raw material for manufacturing of compostable carry bags conforming to ISO standards in terms of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
bccl/representational image
¡°PPCB is interacting with some companies to introduce compostable carry bags in Punjab¡± said the PPCB chairman.
He further informed that he had also convened a meeting of over a hundred plastic carry bag manufacturers of Punjab last week and advised them to shift to manufacturing of compostable carry bags by using starch granules derived from maize and potatoes adding that the same machines with which plastic carry bags were manufactured could be used to manufacture compostable carry bags of starch-based granules.
