Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started its public campaign in Odia against plastic use by placing hoardings at prime locations here starting Monday. The civic body has also begun airing two radio jingles through three FM stations here to create awareness on plastic ban in the state, which came into effect from October 2 this year.
The BMC has plans to rollout a tableau to intensify the campaign. Several advertisements in film theatres on restricted use of plastic and Swachha Survekshyan – 2019 will be screened for more citizens’ participation.
The campaign that aims at making the capital city free from plastic/polythene, speaks about bringing one’s own tiffin boxes, bottles and bags to minimise the burden of plastic on the Earth.
In many cases, cattle also suffer due to rampant plastic use as they at times chew the polythene/plastic along with their food. Burning of polythene is also causing several health hazards in the society. While plastic pots are providing water pockets for Aedes mosquitoes, thereby spreading dengue, polythene use is choking drains and causing urban flooding.
The BMC’s communication team is also planning to distribute leaflets with message on how to build a plastic-free city and detail facts about the ill effects of polythene/plastic use, legal provisions to ban plastic and restrict, regulate and ban the use of plastic. It has also got a section on how various institutions would restrict the use of polythene/plastic.
While plastic bottles would be recycled by manufacturers, the State Pollution Control Board would initiate action against polythene manufacturers in the industrial areas.
The two jingles produced by BMC tell the listeners about the ban on use of plastic bottles of less than 200ml capacity, and polythene and about use of one’s own bags for purchasing household items and groceries.
Four types of hoardings have already been placed at eight locations and many more would come up at several other places. Sources said the video clips to be screened in film theatres will be issued very soon.
Earlier, the civic body initiated a process to install the first-of-its-kind reverse vending machines, where anyone can dump used plastic bottles in the city. The BMC will install three such machines in the first phase, and once the plan is successful, the installation of such machines will increase in later phases.
The corporation will spend Rs 45.50 lakh in the first phase of installations, which would take place in the last week of October.