Ending plastic disposal on land, water ultimate goal: Top govt official

The ultimate goal is to stop the disposal of plastic on land and water and ensure it is recycled, a top environment ministry official said on Wednesday.

Speaking on the government initiative to reduce the use of single-use plastic beginning Gandhi Jayanti on Wednesday, which has repeatedly been spoken of by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other cabinet ministers, Environment Secretary C K Mishra said it will certainly have results.

"Our end goal is, whatever plastic is used must not be thrown on land and water. It must be recycled. It's a great moment for this country, this entire exercise is led by the prime minister himself. It will certainly have results.

"We will sensitize people about ill-effects of plastic and urge people to reduce it. We will start talking to people, industry and others to find alternatives to single-use plastic and emphasise hugely on recycling whatever we are using," Mishra said.

PM Modi had in August urged people to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 as a day to begin efforts to make India plastic-free.

However, some ministry officials on Wednesday said there was no publicity campaign or event being held to mark the movement.

"No such event to launch the campaign or mass movement to ban single-use plastic is taking place today, a ministry official said.

At an event on Monday, the environment secretary had said, "October 2 onwards, under the Swachh Bharat campaign, entire country will start collecting plastic items from houses, roadsides, riverside etc and industries will pick it up and take it to recycle or to the cement plants and dispose it of."