GMC initiative to make city markets plastic-free

GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has started an initiative to make the city's markets plastic-free zones. A recent study has revealed a dangerously rising trend of plastic waste generation in the state and the city in particular.
"We are trying to remove plastic from markets. It's not possible to bring the change in a single day. We are targeting the marketplaces, interacting with traders and trying to make them understand the ill-effects of plastic. We have suggested banning single-use plastics. Gradually, we will cover the other markets as well," said GMC commissioner Monalisa Goswami.

On Tuesday, GMC officials started their mission at the Uzan Bazar and Kacharighat markets. "We also did a campaign at Kamakhya to make it a plastic-free area as people from different places of the country and abroad will come here for the Ambubachi Mela. Let's beat the use of plastic together," she added.

GMC has also been motivating self-help groups to prepare paper and plastic bags which are bio-degradable. "These SHGs distributed free bags today, later the traders can purchase bags from them," Goswami added.

The GMC has also formed monitoring committees comprising GMC officials, market committee members and also representatives from civil society to follow developments regarding the use of plastic.

Meanwhile, a study by Environ, a group working towards environmental management for sustainable development, has revealed that the growth of plastic waste production has increased by around six times in comparison to 2004. "Now, the state is generating 2,99,000 kilogram per day of different types of plastic waste and Guwahati is generating 37,000 kilogram per day alone," said Amarjyoti Kashyap, president and chief functionary of Environ.

In 2004, during their first study, the generation of different types of plastic waste in the state was around 50,000 kilogram per day and in the city it was 5,000 kilogram per day.