Gurugram’s 1st cloth bag bank distributed over 100,000 bags in 4 months

After four months it opened, the first cloth bag bank in Haryana has already distributed over 100,000 cloth bags across Gurugram, according to a release issued by the civic body on Thursday

After four months it opened, the first cloth bag bank in Haryana has already distributed over 100,000 cloth bags across Gurugram, according to a release issued by the civic body on Thursday. As per the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) officials, the cloth bag bank has helped in eliminating over 500,000 polythene bags in the city.

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Depending on the size of the bags, residents could either purchase the bags from the bank at prices ranging between ₹3 and ₹20 or could give old clothes and plastic bottles from their homes to the bank and get cloth bags in exchange for the same.

The MCG had set up the cloth bag bank in Nai Basti in Sector 8 on December 14, 2020. The civic body had opened the bank in collaboration with Buland Awaaz Welfare Society — an NGO — amidst the MCG’s growing push for making the city both plastic and polythene free.

Kuldeep Singh, MCG brand ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission, said, “We estimate that every cloth bag helps in reducing five polythene bags as they are more durable and sturdier than the former. The bank was opened amidst the MCG’s push for eradicating the use of polythene and plastic in the city, and we have been successful in distributing over 100.000 bags across Gurugram, mainly in sector markets and HUDA markets.”

He also said that the MCG’s long-term objective is to set up a cloth bag bank in all its 35 wards in Gurugram, and subsequently in every residential or commercial sector of the city. “The establishment of the state’s first cloth bag bank has not only been successful in curbing polythene carry bags but has also given a boost to self-employment. 31 underprivileged women are also working at the cloth bag bank and earning income for their families. We are aiming to open more such banks in the city,” Singh added.

Since its inception, the bank has distributed bags in markets in areas such as Sector 23, Sushant Lok 1, Wazirabad Mandi, Harijan Basti, Sector 46, and Sector 4 among others. Of these, Sushant Lok 1 Vyapar Kendra, Sector 46 market, Sector 4 market, and Sector 23 market are currently under the MCG’s radar. The civic body wants to turn these areas polythene and plastic free. The MCG has banned various types of polythene under the Haryana Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1988, since February 27. The violators would have to pay penalties up to ₹25,000.