NDMC launches 'Plastic Lao - Mask Pao' campaign at Charkha museum

New Delhi: In a positive news for environment lovers, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has inaugurated the third phase of the “Plastic Lao - Mask Pao” stall at Charkha Museum in Connaught Place.

A kiosk has been installed where citizens can come and deposit their plastic waste in exchange for masks and cloth bags (Thaila). The initiative was taken under the series of celebrations of 75 Years of Independence as “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, on the theme of  “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle & Say No To Single-Use Plastic”.

The initiative of “Plastic Lao - Mask Pao” operated in association with the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). The Chairman and Secretary of NDMC distributed the masks and cloth bags to Safai Sewak in exchange for plastic waste collected by them.

Inaugurating the third phase at Connaught Place, the Chairperson, NDMC said that he is satisfied with the results of the previous two phases of this unique campaign, NDMC is extending it to the markets and commercial areas of New Delhi so they could collect the plastic waste to make it reusable by recycling it.

The first phase collected 7,568 kg of plastic waste while 10,680 kg plastic waste was collected in the second phase. In exchange of this plastic waste, the stalls provided 5,600 cloth bags in the first phase while 3,500 cloth bags and 4200 masks respectively in Connaught Place and Khan Market stalls.

The Chairman, NDMC appealed to the visitors, customers and residents of New Delhi to reduce the use of single-use plastic in day to day life so that civic bodies can achieve the target of making the city single-use plastic-free.

He also urged the RWAs, MTAs and NGOs to join the initiatives launched by the civic body to eliminate the plastic waste from the streets and other public places and exchange it by getting cloth bags or thelas and masks.

He further informed that NDMC is organising various awareness programmes in the market and residential areas on behavioural changes to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic waste.