CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 4: As the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board had issued a notice in February to stop the use of single-use plastic (SUP) by shopkeepers and street vendors by June 30, the current situation seems to be quite different.
Many restaurants and coffee shops in Ranchi tend to continue the use of plastic straws while serving drinks despite the availability of paper straws.
Many coffee shops and restaurants on Purulia Road tend to use plastic straws while serving beverages to their customers. While asked, one of the owners of a café has informed that they keep different straws for coffee and cold drinks.
“We tend to serve plastic straws to customers who ask for diluted drinks such as lemonade or Mojito and we serve Paper straws for thick shakes and cold coffee. The paper straws become soggy after a while and customers ask for the plastic ones,” said the owner of one of the fast-food restaurants in Ranchi.
The price of plastic straws is cheaper compared to paper straws and that is one of the main reasons why many people use them. The price of a pack of 50 paper straws is Rs 30 whereas that of 100 plastic straws is Rs 20.
All the manufacturers, stockists, distributors, retailers and sellers will need to provide a zero-stock list of single-use plastic by June 30. Keeping this in mind, the JSPCB has been conducting surprise visits to restaurants and shops to check the use of plastic.
JSPCB chairman AK Rastogi had earlier informed that putting a complete ban on these products is not possible hence they have provided time to the users to adopt necessary alternatives.
The restrictions have been imposed on plastic products which are under 100-micron thickness. The decision has been taken keeping in mind the contents mentioned Under Section 4(2) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWMR), 2016.
In Jharkhand, there has been a complete restriction on the use of polythene bags Since September 2017, as informed by JSPCB.
