After cracking down on small vendors and large businesses for using plastic despite the ban, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now asked marriage and community convention halls to completely do away with plastic. In a circular issued on Friday, signed by BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad, owners and managers of these establishments were asked not only to stop using disposable cutlery but also to do away with bottled mineral water and instead install reverse osmosis (RO) water purifiers.
The BBMP notification came a day after the state government passed a similar order on Thursday, which said that no government department can use any form of plastic at any functions, seminars or conventions. The order also categorically states that no plastic, other than the 20-litre water cans, can be used.
The establishments were reminded that waste must also be segregated at source and composting units have to be set up on the premises.
BBMP Commissioner’s notice also reiterated the blanket ban passed by the government on plastic in March 2016. It further said that all halls should have a plate bank of only steel, ceramic or melamine plates as well as a commercial dishwashing facility to reduce wastage of water.
Strangely, the Commissioner also discouraged the use of banana leaves often used in marriages, citing they are a wet waste hazard.
According to NS Ramakanth of the Solid Waste Management Round Table, which works closely with the BBMP, such leaves take a long time to compost.
“The goal of solid waste management is to reduce, reuse and recycle. BBMP is already struggling to cope with the increasing amount of waste. So, it makes sense to use a reusable form of cutlery. Besides, plantain leaves or even areca nut leaves take much more time to compost,” he explained.
He added, “In addition to marriage halls, all resident welfare associations should also come together and form plate banks to reduce waste generation.”