Indian Railways To Ban Single-Use Plastic From October 2

by Mrunal Mahajan
Indian Railways To Ban Single-Use Plastic From October 2

Amid concerns for increasing plastic waste, Indian Railways will ban single-use plastic not only on the trains but also at station premises. This will be effective from October 2 which marks the 150th anniversary of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

The Indian Railway Board Authorities will also be installing 1, 835 plastic water bottle crushing machine at approximately 360 major stations as the first phase of this initiative, reports Business Today. This decision comes after single-use plastic was banned in the Parliament.

Also Read: Indian Railways To Reduce Time Taken Between Delhi-Howrah, Delhi-Mumbai

Konkan_Railway_-_views_from_train_feature
Image Courtesy – railpictures.net

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Development Corporation (IRCTC) is asked to return plastic drinking bottles as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility by the Railway Authority Board.  They will also be promoting railway vendors to avoid plastic. The employees were asked to use plastic minimally and instead use biodegradable items.

The motive is to be plastic-free by the year 2020 and hence it is of utmost importance that Indian Railways bans single-use plastic. The Railways are a ‘waste generator’ and they had to abide by Plastic Waste Management rules.

Also Read: Indian Railways Roll Out Airport-Style Security Check-In

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the people with the issue of single-use plastic in his Independence Day speech. He urged people to not use plastic and single-use plastic completely. 2nd October is the date on which the nation is asked to cut plastic out and use degradable items instead.

 

Do you think this move will bring us closer to being ‘plastic-free;?