DSGMC bans single use plastic, thermocol items at 11 historic Gurudwaras in Delhi

The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Wednesday declared a ban on single-use plastic items at all the 11 historic gurudwaras managed by it in the national capital.

The prime minister has already given a call to shun single-use plastic and the DSGMC realising its duty is banning it at all its gurudwaras in Delhi, said DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Single-use plastic and thermocol items like plates, glasses, spoons, polythene bags have already been banned by the DSGMC at Bangla Sahib Gurudwara from October 2.

"We have been trying to enforce the ban of single use plastic and thermocol items at Gurudwaras managed by us in Delhi for the past fortnight. Now, we are announcing this ban after alternative arrangements have been put in place," Sirsa said.

The gurudwaras where the ban has come into effect include Sis Ganj Sahib, Rakabganj Sahib, Nanak Piao Sahib, Damdama Sahib and Moti Bagh Sahib among others.

Under the ban all items like disposable plates, glasses, spoons, thermocol cup-plates and other single-use plastics will be discarded, and steel utensils will be used for serving water and 'langar' (community meal) to devotees, Sirsa said.

Also, use of eco-friendly material like jute bags and dried-leaf bowls and plates(dona-pattal) will be used in place of plastic and thermocol items, he said.

The decision to ban single-use plastic at gurudwaras is part of programmes to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, Sirsa said.

The DSGMC has set up a recycling plant capable of handling two tonnes of flower, langar waste, dry leaves, used flowers on a daily basis.

This organic waste is converted into manure and vermicompost. The fully automated plant has been commissioned on experimental basis at present to experiment with the zero-waste model and will be commissioned on full scale during the current month, Sirsa said.

The committee has taken various eco friendly initiatives to increase green cover, check pollution and shift to clean energy to honour the Sikh tradition of preserving 'Mata Dharat' (Mother Earth), Sirsa said.