In an attempt to reduce single-use plastic, the Kamareddy District collector in Telangana launched the ‘sensitise-incentivise’ campaign, under which, half dozen eggs will be given to residents in exchange for 2 kg of plastic waste.
The campaign was introduced after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced a ban on the use of single-use plastic citing public health and environmental concerns. Officials in coordination with the Kirana merchants have setup plastic collection points, where people can exchange their plastic for eggs.
The plastic drive would be organised and monitored by the panchayat, Mandal and municipal staff. A committee constituted by district officials, NGOs and traders’ associations would ensure there would be adequate eggs to whoever collects and gives plastic, Kamareddy District Collector N Sathyanarayana announced early this week.
According to the District Collector, around 14,900 kgs of single-use plastic were collected in three municipalities over the last three months, as part of the clean-up drive. Sathyanarayana said he wanted the drive to be a “peoples movement”.
“The government is keen on preventing single-use plastic. We thought why not do something innovative and healthy and decided to provide six eggs for two kg plastic, 3 eggs for 1 kg,” Sathyanarayana said speaking to The News Minute.
When asked about the idea behind the campaign, the Collector said, “We aimed to sensitise people about the hazards of single-use plastic. The distribution of eggs is a healthy incentive for people to participate in the campaign against single-use plastics.”
He added, “For now, donors are providing the eggs. If we require more we will arrange through Collector’s funds. This is gaining momentum, we will even give prizes on Republic Day to the villages which perform well in the drive.”
With an incentive to give up single-use plastics, the Collector said people in the villages are flocking to plastic collection points. According to officials, anyone can get eggs in exchange for plastic waste, such as bags, bottles or pouches.
‘1 Kg Rice For 1 Kg Plastic’
This isn’t the first time that such an initiative has been introduced in Telangana. The Mulugu District Collector C Narayan Reddy had earlier come up with the ‘1 kg rice for 1 kg plastic’ initiative, to encourages citizens to collect single-use plastics and exchange it for 1 kilogram of rice.
‘1 Kg Of Rice For 1 Kg Of Plastic’: Telangana Collector’s Initiative To Keep His District Clean
Mulugu district collector C Narayana Reddy’s ‘1 kg rice for 1 kg plastic’ programme was spread across 174 villages. Through the 10-day long programme, over 31,000 kg of plastic was collected.
The Logical Indian ಅವರಿಂದ ಈ ದಿನದಂದು ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ ಸೋಮವಾರ, ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ 28, 2019
As people got to know about Reddy’s initiative, several came forward to donate rice and encourage him in his effort to make the villages plastic-free.
In a small village in Telangana’s Mulugu district, C Narayana Reddy along with some others had arranged a competition between school students. “Whoever is able to collect the highest number of plastic bottles in the area within an hour will get a cricket kit as a reward,” Reddy told them.
In one hour, the students managed to collect about 1,000 plastic bottles from a village.
The environment is getting severely polluted by plastic because of its widespread usage and its durability component. In such a critical situation, when focusing on a plastic-free environment has become the need of the hour, The Logical Indian applauds such efforts in the state of Telangana to make the earth greener and cleaner and also reward people for their effort.
