In an attempt to do away with single-use plastic bags, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and West Bengal Pollution Control Board have started a move to sell jute carry bags at the KMC markets in the city.
The bags, worth Rs 10, are made of jute. They are available at cloth bag vending machines. On the bags are written Refuse Single Use Plastics, Beat Plastic Pollution.
On the cloth bag vending machine are written Say No to Plastic bags. Save Nature its future.
A senior KMC official said despite repeated requests, many vendors refused to stop the use of single-use plastic. The vendors have been requested to use paper bags but the requests have fallen flat.
There are vendors who sell fish, meat and chicken in plastic carry bags. The pumping stations and manholes get clogged due to the plastic bags, which people throw on the streets. They choke the pipeline resulting in waterlogging and longer time taken to clear the accumulated water.
As the bags are priced at Rs 10, many people are buying them. The bags are washable and durable, he maintained.