SDMC's south zone leads fight against single-use plastic

New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation's South Zone is leading the charge to stop the usage of single-use plastic in the municipality, which critically endangers not just humans but other species as well, officials of the SDMC said on Sunday.

In fact, New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi attended a programme in Greater Kailash-I, where she urged Resident Welfare Associations and market associations to take a lead in putting a "full stop to the use of any kind of plastic, especially single-use plastic".

Lekhi said that this move expresses the commitment of the community towards nature and protecting the environment.

The New Delhi MP said that indiscriminate use of plastic, single-use drinking water bottles, thermocol plates and glasses and other plastic items for events like Bhandaras and Langars is very concerning and that all residents should join the fight to stop plastic usage.

SDMC Deputy Commissioner Vishvender was also at the event, where he brought to notice the harmful effects of excessive plastic usage and urged community members to move beyond plastic and use environment-friendly alternatives.

Lekhi appreciated the SDMC's effort to erect a stage for the programme without using flex, thermocol or plastic materials and asked representatives of market associations to stop using polythene bags for packaging items but instead rely on paper or jute-based options. She also asked Resident Welfare Associations to help with plastic waste collection so that SDMC staff can send it for proper disposal.

The New Delhi MP also raised a voice to stop using micro-plastic in sanitary pads and requested manufacturers to use cloth-alternatives.