Two months after the ban on single-use plastics the plastic bags, cups and straws are back at many shops around the mada streets of Mylapore. The plastic items are also easily available in the market.
The street hawkers who had switched to cloth bags then have shifted back to plastic covers now.
“The cloth bags are not affordable. We are getting one cloth bag at Rs. 5. And the plastic bags we get 50 pieces ( small size) at Rs.20. Till we get a cost-effective alternative, what should we use,” asks R.Kuppama, a street hawker near Vasantha Bhavan, Sweets and Snacks in South Mada Street.
The shoppers who use to bring cloth bags regularly even before the plastic ban are still seen bringing them. “But, many other shoppers are now coming empty handed or they are coming with plastic covers without understanding why the ban was implemented in the first place,” says K.Viji, a hawker who sells potatoes adjacent to Kuppama’s shop.
