Plastic warriors make Johnson Market the next battleground

Appeal to customers and shopkeepers to shun plastic, go for greener alternative

Citizen volunteers from Langford Town and Richmond Town have taken it upon themselves to make Johnson Market — one of the oldest in the city — free from plastic with the shopkeepers’ support.

The Citizens Welfare Association, Richmond and Langford Town, and Johnson Market Merchants’ Association launched a drive against plastic on Sunday. Volunteers were seen educating customers and shopkeepers against plastic and the available alternatives. They explained the ill effects of plastic having thickness of 40 microns and below.

Syed Zaheeruddin, the secretary of the market association, said customers continued to use plastic bags for shopping and most of them refused to buy cloth bags offered by shopkeepers because of the cost factor.

“A cloth bag costs Rs 10-20 depending on the size. While most of the traders are using alternatives like jute, paper and cotton bags, some still use plastic,” he said.

He said the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had been carrying out drives against plastic and penalising shopkeepers seen using the banned substance. The association intends to make Johnson Market plastic-free with the help of citizen groups.

Nitya Reddy from Citizens Welfare Association, Richmond and Langford Town, said their goal was to put an end to plastic in the neighbourhood. “The message was made clear by creating awareness and putting up posters such as ‘Bring your own bag’. We want to ensure plastic bags are not used in our neighbourhood as this is a major contributor to Bengaluru’s garbage problem,” she added.
DH News Service