In a bid to reduce single-use plastics, the Kamareddy District Collector launched the 'sensitise -incentivise' campaign, where a half dozen eggs will be given to residents in exchange for handing over 2kg of plastic waste. The campaign comes after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the state would ban the use of single use plastic citing public health and environmental concerns.
Earlier this week, Kamareddy District Collector N Sathyanarayana announced that the plastic drive would be overseen by all panchayat, mandal and municipal staff. A committee constituted by district officials, NGOs and traders’ associations would ensure there would be adequate eggs to whomever collects and gives plastic at selected collection points.
According to the District Collector, around 14,900 kgs of single-use plastic were collected in three municipalities over the last three months, as part of the clean-up drive. Sathyanarayana said he wanted the drive to be a "peoples movement".
Speaking to TNM, Sathyanarayana said, "The government is keen on preventing single-use plastic. We thought why not do something innovative and healthy and decided to provide six eggs for two kg plastic, 3 eggs for 1 kg." When asked about the idea behind the eggs, the Collector said, "We aimed to sensitise people about the hazards of single-use plastic. The distribution of eggs is a healthy incentive for people to participate in the campaign against single-use plastics."
Officials in coordination with kirana merchants setup plastic collection points, where people can exchange their plastic for eggs.
The DC further added, "For now, donors are providing the eggs. If we require more we will arrange through Collector’s funds. This is gaining momentum, we will even give prizes on Republic Day to the villages which perform well in the drive."
With an incentive to give up single-use plastics, the Collector said people in the villages are flocking to plastic collection points.
According to officials anyone can get eggs in exchange for plastic waste, such as bags, bottles or pouches.
This isn’t the first such initiative in Telangana. The Mulugu District Collector C Narayan Reddy had earlier come up with the ‘1 kg rice for 1 kg plastic’ initiative, to encourages citizens to collect single-use plastics and exchange it for 1 kilogram of rice.