Banned plastic carry bags continue to flood markets here as traders blame the government for the delay in issuing clear-cut guidelines on alternate products that can be used instead of single-use plastic carry bags.
A scan through the key markets in the city and shops revealed that compostable and non-woven carry bags are sold to customers in spite of the ban issued by the Environment Department. A furious shop owner at Edappally said the government must be held responsible for the delay in coming up with a list of alternate products that could replace single-use plastic carry bags.
“I had stocked compostable carry bags for ₹30,000 at a rate of ₹380 per kg of the product after the government banned single-use plastic carry bags. We had sold hundreds of compostable carry bags under the assumption that they figured in the list of items that are permitted as replacements for plastic carry bags. How can the government now say we cannot use it?” he asked.
A fish vendor at Aluva was equally worried even as he was seen providing compostable carry bags to his daily customers. “I will suffer loss unless the current stock of these bags are cleared. Customers are also not complaining. We are selling compostable bags at ₹6 each,” he said. The manager of a margin-free shop at Vyttila said the government should have done adequate homework before coming up with the ban. “They [government] need not have waited till the end of January to issue a clarification order on the banned items,” he added.
Officials of the Local-Self Governments Department pointed out that compostable and non-woven bags had flooded markets even before the ban came into force on January 1. There was little enforcement in the initial days after the ban. Traders started selling compostable and non-woven bags hoping that there was no ban on such items,” they said.
Traders said they were relieved of surprise checks and enforcement by the inspection wings of local bodies in view of the forthcoming local body elections. “The government would not be having the intent of earning the wrath of traders by slapping penalty and confiscating pending stocks of compostable and non-woven bags,” they said.