Northeast unites against plastic usage on 'International Plastic Bag Free Day'

Meghalaya Plastic Challenge is a movement to combat the global issue of plastic waste management through public participation involving stakeholders and organizations in the state. Besides the people taking up the initiative and collecting plastic wastes, another highlight is further turning these plastics into reusable forms.

The state almost took the entire country by surprise when it laid down its first plastic road in Nongstoin in 2018. A second one was made in Tura in 2019 and the third one is also under construction. These plastic wastes are also being used as an alternative fuel source in cement plants.

Emphasizing the significance of this little-known day, Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb also tweeted, "International plastic bag free day is a global initiative that aims to eliminate or radically reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. Let's pledge on this occasion to stop using plastic bags and emphasize on the alternatives to single-use plastic bags." Tripura's Government had recently introduced bamboo bottles as a sustainable alternative to plastic, and an entire industry is being set up around that project.

The success story of Yuksom, a small village in Sikkim which was the first in India to ban plastic bottles and bags in 1996 and Sikkim's decentralized approach to 'zero plastic state' reality is another illustration of how seriously the entire region viewed the issue.

International Plastic Bag Free Day was started by Zero Waste Europe's Bag Free World with an aim to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags of the world. Every year it is celebrated on July 3^rd.

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