Claiming wide acceptance of its programme targeted to reduce environment hazards due to the use of plastic, the Indian government announced on Wednesday that sale and use of disposable plastic plates and glasses were likely to be banned in the Himachal Pradesh, a state in northern India.

Till now, under the "Polythene hatao, paryavaran bachao" scheme, the state has managed to remove at least 311 tonnes of plastic waste at over 1,600 critical locations. The waste is now used either in incinerators of cement plants to generate energy or for tarring of roads after shredding and mixing it with bitumen.

During a meeting with the Central team that is in Himachal to assess the state's scheme to reduce the use of polythene and plastic, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal announced the state's proposal to ban disposable plastic plates and glasses. The "ban-polythene" scheme has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister's award for best governance practices. Dhumal said: "Instead of plastic, alternate paper products for disposable use will be explored and encouraged."

The government is also considering a proposal to transfer all fines collected on account of environmental challans to the Environment Fund. The Chief Minister said this amount would be further disbursed among the deputy commissioners to more effectively implement various environment protection programmes in their respective districts.

Soon, the tourism department is expected to launch another scheme to educate those coming to the state about "Mindful Travel in Himachal Pradesh".

(Source: HP likely to ban disposable plastic glasses, plates [Indian Express])