The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Gurugram Region (North), organised a cleanliness and awareness drive in Palam Vihar on Sunday to discourage the use of single-use plastic (SUP) and promote reusable alternatives, officials said on Monday.
During the drive, HSPCB officials spoke to vendors and residents about the environmental impact of prohibited plastic carry bags and urged them to use cloth and jute bags instead. Cloth bags were distributed among vegetable vendors, while jute bags were given to residents. The awareness drive comes amid increased enforcement against prohibited plastic in Gurugram, with the HSPCB North team carrying out several seizures in recent months. The seized material was sent to a waste-to-energy plant in Sonipat for disposal.
In September, the team seized 1,060kg of banned plastic from a unit in Khandsa Mandi and imposed a ₹ 25,000 penalty on its owner.
In August, the board seized more than 1,700kg of banned plastic during a two-day enforcement drive in Badshahpur market and Tek Chand Nagar in Dhanwapur. Of this, 1,550kg was recovered from a unit in Dhanwapur, HSPCB officials said. Later that month, another enforcement action resulted in the seizure of 1,912kg of non-compliant plastic from a trading company on Daultabad Road. Under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended, certain single-use plastic items are prohibited.
The board has been combining enforcement action with awareness programmes for market associations, shopkeepers and vendors. In August, an awareness programme at Kisan Bhawan was followed by an enforcement action in Daultabad. Traders were informed about penalties for violations and alternatives to prohibited plastic. Haryana has also imposed restrictions on the manufacture, sale, distribution, stocking, transportation and use of certain plastic carry bags.
HSPCB officials said inspections and awareness activities would continue to improve compliance and encourage the use of reusable alternatives.
