Paper straws offered by coconut vendors

Rajendranagar: As part of the campaign against single use plastic, the GHMC Rajendranagar Circle has started promoting a unique idea of using paper straws instead of plastic at coconut vending stalls. This initiative, it hopes, would help people squeeze a sip of coconut water with eco-friendly straws made up of papers.

Encouraging the people to use eco-friendly stuff at home and outside and also bringing awareness about hazardous impact of plastic is the strategy of the circle officials to curb the issue of widespread use of polythene covers and disposable plastic items in day-to-day life.

The GHMC has already banned manufacture of plastic carry bags with less than 50 macrons thickness. Should the GHMC campaign succeed in an areas which have a large number of plastic units – Shastripuram, Tatanagar and Kattedhan – it would help the other areas in the city to catch on to the idea and promote eco-friendly products such as jute/cloth bags.

It is said that almost 17 types of plastics scrap are being dumped here from all over the city in open areas across the Shastripuram, Tatanagar and Katedhan areas. The plastics then segregated there based on the colour and thickness to reach recycling units located at Bandlaguda.

"One year ago, the plastic collection stood at 3,500 tonnes, but now the quantity has crossed a whopping 5,000 tonne mark. In order to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic waste, we need to impose a ban on single use plastic in the city," opines Pradeep Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, GHMC Rajendranagar. He notices a perceptible change in people's attitude and growing preference for eco-friendly products, due to efforts made by the GHMC to reduce the ever-increasing pollution.

"Now-a-days, seasonal diseases are on the rise and more and more people are preferring tender coconut water to other soft and energy drinks. We found it better to introduce paper straws at coconut vending shops in and around Rajendranagar to help people gulp a sip of coconut water with complete eco-friendly squeezing sticks," informed the Deputy Commissioner.

"The straws are made up of good quality paper and natural gum which is completely eco-friendly stuff. I have decided to use these paper straws in all of my vending shops henceforth. The customers are also happy to use these straws as people are now becoming very health-conscious," said M Raju, a major tender coconut trader in Rajandranagar area. Besides selling he also supplied tender coconuts to around 15 to 20 pushcarts and vendors in the area.