Villagers say no to plastic cups in Nizamabad

Nizamabad: Legislation cannot reform people. The change should come from the people. The government and officials have been conducting awareness camps about health hazards and environmental pollution due to plastic usage. But people are continuing using plastic items.

At the same time, many of them are becoming aware of the diseases and other effects due to plastic usage through social media and started using glasses for drinking tea, jute and cloth bags instead of plastic covers.

Villagers of Thimmapur of Mortad mandal in Nizamabad district became role models to others after voluntarily banning use of plastic items from August 15 this year. Even in Nizamabad city, one can see the difference as people are saying no to drink tea in plastic cups, instead preferring glasses.

Janardhan, owner of Armoor tiffin centre, said that it is good that people are concerned about their health. "I don't have enough manpower to clean the glasses. But we also have to change according to the customers, otherwise we lose our business," he said.

A tea shop owner said that people are refusing to drink tea from a paper cup and asking for a glass. Plastic usage has increased since a decade. Earlier there were glass cups only. Now people are afraid of the harmful effects due to plastic cups.

Customers are not taking tea in plastic covers, instead drinking tea here in glass cups only, he added.

A customer from Bada Bazaar said that he drinks tea twice in a day and in a glass only. He felt that the government should close down the companies that produces plastic covers, cups and other items, along with imposing a ban on plastic usage.