Kerala to ban plastic bags in 6 months

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will completely ban the use and sale of plastic bags in the state in six months, said Minister for Local Self Governments K T Jaleel.

Commercial institutions, retail units and vendors have been given six months’ time to clear their stocks of plastic bags.

As part of the state government’s sanitation drive, plastic processing units will be established in all Local-Self Government institutions with the help of agencies including the Kudumbashree. Plastic processed at these units will be given to the PWD department for road construction at a rate of Rs 20 per kilogram. Local government bodies will also use plastic for road building.

Hotels, fruit-vegetable vendors, fish and meat stalls should be self-reliant in waste disposal. They have to put up own waste treatment facility.

A legislation will be enacted if needed. People who dump waste in public places will be monitored and penalised, the Minister said.