Wokha groups give away for free non-plastic bags

[caption id="attachment_251045" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Members of the Wokha district chamber of commerce, and Team Metamorphosis distribute paper bags for free at a market in Wokha.[/caption] Dimapur, May 25 (EMN): Members of the Wokha District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WDCCI) and Wokha-based youth activists Team Metamorphosis, besides members of self-help groups distributed recently a number of paper bags of different sizes for free. The bags, stated to be from the Wokha district administration, were distributed to more than 750 shops in the two, a press release from the WDCCI and Team Metamorphosis on Saturday stated. The organisers said to have shown the business establishments samples and availability of finished products, and apprising the shop owners about the ban on plastic bags by the government. The updates highlighted the government’s policy to restrict the use of single-use plastic in Nagaland and the subsequent imposition of the ban on plastic bags of less than 50 microns, and on Styrfoam or thermocol cutlery, cups plates etc with immediate effect. They were told that the penalty for violating the order would be INR 2000 for the first offence and INR 5000 for subsequent offences. As part of enforcement raids will be conducted from July 1. According to WDCCI and the Team Metamorphosis, a ‘research’ is stated to have undertaken showed an estimated 66,750 plastic bags of different sizes being circulated every day in Wokha town itself. “Hence, the usage of plastic bags that are non-biodegradable in nature had done severe damage to our society and left an untold negative impact to our environment,” the press release stated. Seeing the danger it posed, the Wokha administration had launched a ‘paper bag project’ though which plastic bags were to be replaced by bags made of paper, cloth etc. Under the ‘beti pachao bedi padao’ scheme, the administration had provided raw materials as an initial start. It was done under the supervision of Team Metamorphosis, and the NRLM with various self-help groups of women who were trained to market the paper bags in order to get orders regularly from the open market, the press release stated. ‘This will in future also generate employment for the self help groups and empower the less privileged to make a positive difference in their lives and to the community.’ In line with the organisation’s mission of ‘demanding that everything we do leads to cleaner, safer and healthier environment,’ the updates stated, the focus of the project was to replace plastic bags by newspaper or paper bags, cloth bags firstly in-house (to the extent possible). Secondly, it was to tap the external market simultaneously. It is also known earlier that the Lotha Eloe Hoho had also been given the task of initiating work to produce bags made of cloths as alternative to plastic bags. The district’s administration had promised providing 10 ‘machines,’ the updates stated. The two organisations have expressed gratitude to the district administration and the Wokha Town Council for their support and monetary assistance besides efforts towards the implementation and success of the mission to make the town plastic-free and providing for environment-friendly bags.