Indian Railways directs all units to ban plastic material from October 2
In a move to curb the use of plastic, the Ministry of Railways Wednesday directed all railway units to enforce a ban on single-use plastic material. Giving directions, the Railways said plastic material with less than 50 microns thickness will be banned.
The new guideline, which aims to minimise the generation of plastic waste and its eco-friendly disposal, will be in effect from October 2, this year.
During his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the citizens of the country to minimise the use of plastic.
Urging on the environmental damage plastic causes, Prime Minister Modi had stressed on the need to make India plastic-free.
Last month, the Uttarakhand government had announced a plan to ban single-use plastics in all government offices in the state. "We are in the process of banning single-use plastics in all government offices including the Secretariat," a top government official had said.
Through this initiative, the use of plastic glasses, folders, bottles, cups and other plastic items will be banned in government offices, he added.
"This is our first step, we will see the response and then decide about taking further action," said the official.
In another eco-friendly initiative, the government made it mandatory to convert biodegradable waste into compost in all government residences in the state.
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