Delhi Lt Governor launches '100 Days to Beat Plastic' campaign by MCD

A thematic 100-day campaign, which aims to make areas under the municipal corporation free of plastic, was launched on Saturday by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena.

The '100 Days to Beat Plastic' campaign led by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will end on April 22 on International Earth Day, officials said.

The Lt Governor also administered an oath to the people to not use plastic in daily life, and unveiled the campaign's mascot -- Nivaran Dadi -- at an event at Baansera in Sarai Kala Khan, according to a statement issued by the MCD.

Saxena said now, there is no need to discuss the ill-effects of plastic as they are well known and added that the purpose is "how we all can make Delhi plastic free".

He said no initiative is successful without the participation of people and he is happy to note that resident welfare associations (RWAs) and market traders associations have taken the initiative to make Delhi a plastic-free city.

The Lt Governor said the national capital faces the problem of waterlogging every year and plastic waste is largely responsible for it.

Saxena said he has a vision that Delhi should become a clean and beautiful city and asserted that all efforts are being made to attain this objective.

"If we stop taking plastic bags from vegetable vendors, shopkeepers and others, then this problem will start ending automatically," he said, adding that the national capital is moving towards the goal of a zero-waste city.

"We have, so far, declared 120 RWAs/GHSs (gated housing societies) as zero-waste colonies. The height of landfill sites are also decreasing," Saxena was quoted as saying in the statement.

Municipal Commissioner Gynaesh Bharti said plastic is a big problem before and added that "Delhi generates 11,000 tonnes of waste daily, out of which about 10 per cent is plastic waste".

The corporation has done a lot of work since single-use plastic was banned. However, due to the lack of alternatives to plastic, there is a problem in implementing this ban completely, he said.

During the programme, a detailed presentation on the action plan of '100 Days to Beat Plastic' campaign was given.

"Under this initiative the MCD has planned various activities, including the intense inspections of all shops and markets, to seize banned single-use plastic, plogging drives with the brand ambassador of the campaign -- Plogman of India, distribution of cloth bags, opening of more number of 'Vikalp' stores, wall art and installations related to plastic, awareness and outreach events to combat single-use plastic," the statement said.

It is hoped that when the 100-day campaign ends, the national capital will be ready to use alternatives to plastic. During the campaign the MCD will focus on making markets, parks, hotel and banquet halls, plastic free in a "strategic manner", it said.

Under the campaign, the municipal corporation will also promote segregation at source and doorstep pickup of plastic in each ward.

Civic authorities will conduct inspection of every shop, factory and commercial enterprise, and stickers of declaration of single-use plastic-free area (SUP-free area) will be put in these areas. Plogging drives will be held in identified locations and reverse plastic vending machines will be installed at high footfall locations, officials said. Government institutions, community centres, parks, offices will be declared SUP-free as part of the campaign.

"The MCD plans to open at least one 'Vikalp' store in each market to discourage use of plastic bags. To implement the ban of single-use plastic and discourage the use of plastic cutlery at hotels and banquets, the MCD will encourage introduction of alternative to plastic. Monthly inspection will be done by MCD and SUP-free certification will be made as a mandatory compliance," the statement said.

Through this campaign, the MCD has set the target to make all parks in the city SUP-free.

It has decided that name boards made of shredded plastic will be used in all civic parks and an appropriate number of dustbins will be installed there.

The MCD's Public Health Department will modify the terms of license to include no usage of SUP, especially plastic cutlery at hotels, eateries and restaurants. Extensive mapping will be done of all malls in Delhi to ban SUP, and declare areas as SUP-free. Mall authorities will issue an instruction for prohibiting use of SUPs on their establishment's premises, the statement said.

At malls, food courts will mandatorily use reusable items and non-plastic cutlery. The MCD will target to make schools and universities SUP-free premises. Everyday 'No use of banned SUPs' pledge will be taken in all schools, it added.

Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Vice Chairman of DDA Subhasish Panda and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.