A butcher in Madambakkam has put out a notice requesting the customers to bring vessels, to cut down the usage of plastic and paper covers. Pic: Laasya Shekhar
Citizens of Tamil Nadu will start the new year without plastic, thanks to the state government’s decision to impose a ban on plastic. In the absence of sufficient awareness of alternatives to plastic, a sense of ambiguity prevails among citizens and trader communities, even though it has been six months since the announcement was made.
We spoke to various stakeholders, whose livelihoods have traditionally remained linked in one way or the other to plastic, to know how they plan to cope with the ban.
Laasya Shekhar is an independent journalist based in Chennai with previous stints in Newslaundry, Citizen Matters and Deccan Chronicle. Laasya holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Bharathiar University and has written extensively on environmental issues, women and child rights, and other critical social and civic issues. She tweets at @plaasya.
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