DON’T SHUN polythene bags? This might sound crazy for many environmentalists. But, that’s what Gail campaign is all about.
The zonal office of the gas marketing major would devote the entire year 2006 educating people on use of better quality polythene bags and plastic material in the day-to-day life.
“Let’s face it. Both plastics and polythene bags have become an integral part of daily life of most consumers in the country. Instead of fighting a vain battle on discouraging use of polythene bags, let’s work on how to make and use environment-friendly polythene bags,” Gail’s zonal general manager TK Goon told HT Lucknow Live.
“Polythene bags aren’t bad for the environment or human beings if their thickness is increased by several microns by plastic recyclers. The quality of polythene bags being currently used by most consumers in the city is not only low in thickness but consists of highly toxic material”, he said.
Gail’s campaign would start shortly from various schools in the city where children would be taught not only about use of environment-friendly polythene bags but also about proper waste disposal of polythene bags and plastic material in the city, Goon said.
“When children learn at an early age about the thickness of polythene bags suitable for usage in daily life, they would never accept polythene bags of thickness lower than the internationally accepted microns from shopkeepers when they grow up”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“When children learn at an early age about the thickness of polythene bags suitable for usage in daily life, they would never accept polythene bags of thickness lower than the internationally accepted microns from shopkeepers when they grow up”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“We aren’t just starting a campaign for better use of plastics or polythene bags. Plans are afoot to go a step further and demand a proper site for plastic recycling units from the State Government on the outskirts of the city where state-of-art technology could be used to make better polythene bags adhering to international quality standards,” Goon said.
The other organisations Gail intends to include in its proper plastic and polythene bags usage awareness campaign are the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), Indian Industries’ Association (IIA), PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASOCHAM) besides heads of Panchayats in Lucknow district.
If the awareness campaign in Lucknow is successful, Gail intends to launch similar campaigns in other parts of the State, he added.