“Behviour of both the local populations and as well as the tourists in using plastic bottles and food wrappers including crisp and sweet packets in Jammu & Kashmir is highly condemnable.”
Plastic bottles convenient to our throwaway water and soft drink habits, are most prevalent form of plastic pollution found in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country. Next to plastic bottles the food wrappers, including crisp and sweet packets have become the second biggest sources of plastic pollution in rivers, lakes, streams and other water bodies which can’t be cleaned up easily once such plastic goods find their way into the water. In fact the plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to environment not only in Jammu & Kashmir but in most of the states and union territories of the country but it’s unprecedented rise heads to no dead end in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. With the rise in tourist footfall during last more than two years the lavish use of plastic bottles, food wrappers, including crisp and sweet packets at hotels, restaurants and provisional stores in absence of effective waste disposal management practices and processes is threatening the environment at most of the tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately the behviour of both the local populations and as well as the tourists in using plastic bottles and food wrappers including crisp and sweet packets in Jammu & Kashmir is highly condemnable. Even use of packaged water sold across the country, the type of plastics used for manufacturing the bottles — usually polyethylene terephthalate — is also threatening the environment across Jammu & Kashmir like most of the other states and union territories of the country.
“Even when the emphasis was laid on the recyclability of the containers the behaviour of the people did not change the scenario of plastic pollution anywhere in Jammu & Kashmir. Though onus lies on the Government when it comes to implementation of advisories against spread of plastic pollution but it is an irrefutable fact that plastic pollution can be contained effectively if people themselves refuse disposable plastic, reduce reuse single-use items, and recycle what they can’t refuse, reduce, or reuse.”
Though several advisories were issued by both the state and central government from to time to the bottled water industry to maintain high standards of safety but advisories are only issued and not implemented with the spirit of curbing plastic pollution anywhere in Jammu & Kashmir. Though Jammu & Kashmir Government also issued many advisories in recent years over the use of alternatives like bottles made of glass or stainless steel, cardboard cartons and even aluminum cans but the advisories ended with few advertisements in newspapers and news channels which did not change the behaviour of the people who never bother to use alternatives like bottles made of glass or stainless steel. Even when the emphasis was laid on the recyclability of the containers the behaviour of the people did not change the scenario of plastic pollution anywhere in Jammu & Kashmir. Though onus lies on the Government when it comes to implementation of advisories against spread of plastic pollution but it is an irrefutable fact that plastic pollution can be contained effectively if people themselves refuse disposable plastic, reduce reuse single-use items, and recycle what they can’t refuse, reduce, or reuse.
