Single-use plastic banned in Tirumala; temple city to go plastic-free in two months

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) appealed to its devotees on Tuesday to avoid single-use plastic. In an effort to reduce pollution and preserve the environment of the holy hills, TTD took the initiative with the aim to go plastic-free in two months. Telangana Today reported that TTD senior officials ordered all the departments to impose a complete prohibition of plastic use in Tirumala. The current ban comes into effect a year after the administration stopped selling mineral plastic bottles.

Guidelines issued by TTD authority

Tirumala authorities requested devotees to carry their own water bottles, so as to avoid the need of buying plastic bottles from the local shops. In addition to this, plastic toys, food packaging, and carry bags are also banned in Tirumala. TTD Additional EO Sri AV Dharma Reddy also informed about the water facilities in the temple town. Dharma Reddy said that the rest houses in Tirumala should keep steel jars and mugs from Jalaprasadam water units. Even the commercial outlets should keep ready the utensils of any other substance like glass, steel, and copper for the sake of pilgrims. These glasses and bottles should be properly cleaned at regular intervals for maintaining basic hygiene. Further, he urged all the locals and shopkeepers to cooperate with TTD's mission to ban the usage of plastic in Tirumala.

Apart from plastic ban guidelines, the officials also ordered hotels and other business owners to strictly follow proper precautions and maintain a healthy setting for the pilgrims on their premises. As per reports, Dharma Reddy also urged rest houses to sanitise the premises properly so that devotees do not face any inconvenience. The visitors were also asked to use the dustbins placed in every corner of the shrine.

India proposes to phase out single-use plastic

A Draft Notification Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021, published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on March 12, 2021, announced a ban on single-use plastic that would take place in three phases. First, as of September 30, 2021, non-woven plastic carry bags (made of virgin or recycled plastic) must be at least 60 grams per square meter (GSM) or 240 microns thick. Compostable plastic carry bags would be exempted. Second, starting on January 1, 2022, India is proposing to ban the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of certain single-use plastic commodities, including candy sticks and ice-cream sticks. Other single-use plastic commodities to be banned after this date include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, and polystyrene decorations.

Third, as of July 1, 2022, India would ban the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of additional single-use plastic items (including items made with polystyrene and expanded polystyrene). The single-use plastic commodities that would be prohibited after this date include the following food-contact articles: plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, straws, trays, stirrers, and wrapping films around sweet boxes. Non-food contact items include wrapping/packing films around invitation cards and cigarette packets and plastic/PVC banners less than 100 microns thick.

(IMAGE: PTI)