Corporation to ban plastic bags under 40 microns

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation is planning to ban the use of plastic items below 40 microns thickness within the corporation limits. “The corporation had earlier banned the use of polythene bags under 30 microns. However, that was not enough as the bags below 40 microns do the same amount of damage to the environment as the ones below 30 microns. The polythene bags below 40 microns easily break and are discarded carelessly. This leads to clogging of drains in the monsoon. When these bags are used for household waste disposal, they prevent the biodegradable wastes from mixing with the soil,” said T K Ashraf, chairperson, health standing committee, Kochi Corporation.“Another issue is that these plastic bags cannot be shredded by machines as it is difficult to segregate them from the rest of the garbage. So, once these bags tear, they cannot be recycled either,” he added. Once the ban comes into effect, the shopkeepers will be given a deadline to finish off their existing stock of the bags. After the date, an anti-plastic squad will conduct frequent raids to make sure that shopkeepers stick to the policy. Defaulters will be fined and a case will be registered against them. “Other details regarding the punishment will be decided by the health standing committee in the coming days,” Ashraf said. A meeting of the corporation officials and all the merchants’ associations will be convened on Thursday to discuss the issue.