Punjab Pollution Control Board to promote compostable carry bags Beginning made from Golden Temple

Amritsar, Mar. 16 (Punjab Post Bureau) – Plastic carry bags in the State of Punjab are a major environmental hazard  as these clog drains/sewers leading to health hazards for the living creatures besides remaining in the environment for a long time without degradation.  All the municipal dumps  and the municipal solid waste collection points are witness to the problem created by the plastic carry bags.

          Although Govt. of Punjab has imposed a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bags in the State, but the supply and use of plastic carry bags could not be controlled as there is a huge demand from the public for such carry bags.

Now, the raw material for manufacturing of compostable carry bags has been allowed to be imported by the Govt. of India and a few companies have also been allowed to manufacture/sell compostable carry bags conforming to ISO standards in terms of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Punjab Pollution Control Board is interacting with these companies to introduce compostable carry bags in  Punjab. 

PPCB Chairman, K.S Pannu called a meeting of 100 odd plastic carry bag manufacturers of Punjab last week  and advised them to shift to  manufacturing of  compostable carry bags by using starch granules derived from maize and potatoes etc.  Interestingly, the same machines with which  plastic carry bags are manufactured, can be used to manufacture the compostable carry bags of starch based granules. Although presently compostable carry bags are little bit expensive as compared to plastic carry bags, but we cannot compromise with the degradation of environment because of meagre economic considerations.  The compostable carry bags get decomposed into the soil   within a period of 3-4 months. 

PPCB Chairman today held a meeting with the officials of SGPC in Golden Temple, Amritsar and impressed upon them to  take a lead to switch over to compostable carry bags in the Golden Temple complex and in all the Gurudwaras of the State. He further informed that initially all the bulk consumers of carry bags shall be impressed upon to switch over compostable carry bags.