Saturday, 06 November 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
This Deepawali caused the generation of over 80 metric tonnes of plastic waste in Dehradun. This waste generation is almost twice the garbage generated during the festival last year. After the state government lifted the ban on single-use plastic last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent spread of the contagion through reusable bags, the usage of plastic has increased manifold in the city. Despite the reinstatement of the ban earlier this year, the amount of single-use plastic and other plastic waste continues to grow in Dehradun.
During festivals, especially on Deepawali, a huge amount of such waste is generated within a single day due to extravagant gift wrappers, empty boxes and packets. Last year, the sanitation workers had collected over 30 metric tonnes of garbage that mainly included plastic waste and some waste of burnt firecrackers. However, this quantity has increased to over 80 metric tonnes this Deepawali. MA Saify, the project head of Ramky Company which manages garbage collection here stated that the daily garbage collected through the sanitation workers is generally about 280 metric tonnes but it was over 360 metric tonnes on the day after Deepawali. However, the garbage of burnt crackers was less this year, added Saify.
