India has taken resolute steps to reflect its commitment towards elimination of single-use plastics and it has also taken leadership in international fora to channel global attention towards the pollution they cause, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey has said.
He was speaking at the two-day national Eco Alternatives Expo and Start-Up conference organised by the Tamil Nadu government here on Tuesday.
Mr. Choubey said the issue of single-use plastics was very challenging and the two-day conference would provide some solutions towards addressing it. He said the State and Central governments would work together and strengthen the federal structure.
Siva V. Meyyanathan, Tamil Nadu Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Youth Welfare and Sports, said plastics that end up in oceans break down into microplastics and pose potential threats. Studies pointed out that one million marine animals die because of plastic pollution. He said air pollution had become a major threat in big cities and towns. “There is a huge demand for low-cost energy efficiency systems,” he said.
Supriya Sahu, Tamil Nadu Environment Secretary, said there were seven challenges that had to be addressed. These were scaling up of eco alternatives to plastics, having consistent quality of such alternatives when demand goes up, affordability, durability, aesthetic appeal of the alternatives, ability to advertise the availability of the products and finding the finance to scale up production.
