Railways Shun Single-Use Plastics

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi requests to the nation to stop the use of single-use plastics in his speech on Independence Day, Indian Railways takes a step further and imposes a ban on single-use plastics products on stations as well as in trains from October 02, 2019 onwards.

The authoritative bodies are directed to install 1,853 plastic water bottle crushing machines at around 360 railway stations. Railway Board has asked the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Development Corporation (IRCTC) to ask the passengers to return bottles of packaged drinking water as a part of Extended Producer Responsibility after use. It will adapt Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) measure to create awareness among travellers. As per the latest news, Nepal has also banned single-use plastics in the Everest region to cut down the plastic waste left by climbers.

The production units and general managers of Zonal railways are instructed to direct all the railway vendors to avoid the use of plastic carry bags. Additionally, railway staff is suggested to reuse, reduce and refuse plastic material. Moreover, they are also advised not to use inexpensive reusable bags to minimize plastic footprint. A pledge shall be made to cut down the use of plastics on October 2, 2019.

Indian Railways is seen as a ‘Waste Generator’ so it should take requisite steps to curb the use of plastics and follow Plastic Waste Management rules. Along with these, subsequent measures should be taken to reduce the use of plastics and opt for eco-friendly techniques.

As per the rules, single-use plastics should not be less than 50 microns, barring where the thickness of plastic sheets diminishes the product. They are also requested to use biodegradable or reusable bags and items.

What are your views on the step taken by Railways towards green and clean India? Tell us in the comments below. Whenever you travel next, try to avoid using single-use plastic water bottles and instead carry eco-friendly bottles. Needless to say, with Trainman app ticket booking is far too easy. Go ahead and download the app to check PNR Status of the booked ticket, Train Running Status, Seat Availability, Train inquiry and much more.