JOIN USBannerghatta Biological Park has plastic regulation
Several organisations have been striving for a plastic-free environment but only a few have succeeded.
The Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) has come up with a solution — you can bring plastic items but you pay a deposit if you want to carry them inside. The rule came into effect in December 2017.
So how does it work? If you want to take in a plastic bottle, you are charged Rs 10. Each item is identified with a sticker.
You get your money back if you bring the item back when you leave the premises. If the bottle is empty, you can leave it with the park authorities.
The idea is to ensure the park is not littered with plastic, and visitors are responsible about what they carry. Metrolife found the system working well: the park is clean and plastic-free. Over the years, the authorities were concerned about the damage to wildlife and the park’s ecology because of the plastic left behind by visitors. Most visitors did not follow plastic disposal instructions.
R Gokul, executive director of the park, says, “Everyone is cooperating with us. People don’t make a fuss about paying Rs 10 as they know that they get it back.”
Plastic bottles discarded at the gate are sold off to recyclers, but a new problem has surfaced.
“The demand for plastic has come down drastically and there aren’t enough contractors coming to collect used plastic. We used to sell it for Rs 9 to Rs 11 a kilo but these days, the stocks are just piling up,” he says. A more effective fix might be to ban plastic altogether, but that is not a proposal at the moment.
Free safari
As part of an outreach programme, officials invite government school students to Bannerghatta. The children are taken on a free safari and given lunch.