Programme to empower teachers, students to help phase out SUPs: Gopal Rai

New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Monday announced that the Delhi government will be launching a capacity building programme for Delhi’s school teachers, children and Delhi’s eco-clubs towards single-use plastic management and the use of its alternatives in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Monday announced that the Delhi government will be launching a capacity building programme for Delhi’s school teachers, children and Delhi’s eco-clubs towards single-use plastic management and the use of its alternatives in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This programme will be launched from July 19 onwards, he said, after holding a joint-meeting with Delhi’s environment department, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Eco-clubs from across the capital.

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“It is not possible to stop single-use plastic items unless other alternatives are promoted. From 1st July onwards 19 products made from single use plastic have been banned in Delhi. For this, a three-day Plastic Vikalp Mela was also organized from July 1 to July 3 at the Thyagaraj Stadium, where we realised there are still many questions in regards to the plastic ban, not only amongst the general public, but also across industrial associations,” said Rai on Monday, stating people were still associating this recent ban with a ban on plastic carry bags.

The minister said there was still a need to provide adequate information to Delhiites on plastic and its impact on air, water and land contamination, stating the capacity building programme from July 19 onwards will help bridge this gap.

“For this reason, on 19th July Delhi Government will collaborate with UNEP for building capacity of Delhi’s school teachers, children and eco-clubs towards single use plastic waste management and to promote the usage of its alternatives, so that more information is available to the people of Delhi in regards to plastic,” the minister said.

The banned SUP items across Delhi include earbuds made out of plastic, plastic sticks for balloons, flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol), plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweets boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, and stirrers. Anyone found violating the ban can be fined between ₹5,000 up to ₹1 lakh as per provisions of the Environment Protection Act, officials say.