A community market in New Town that caters to at least four residential blocks has been handing out clay pots, paper bags and biodegradable packets instead of plastic bags and containers for more than a year now.
The CB Block Community Market in New Town’s Action Area I has at least 29 shops, including grocery stores, fruit shops as well as fish and meat outlets. There are 14 temporary stalls outside the market.
All the stalls and stores hand out paper bags, clay pots and biodegradable plastic bags instead of plastic bags.
The initiative is being executed jointly by the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) and Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage — an NGO that works for sustainable waste management and environment protection.
According to an NKDA official, they hand out brown paper bags, degradable plastic bags that are made out of vegetable starch and clay pots to the shops in the market and the temporary stalls. Everyone has been asked not to hand out any single use plastic bags.
“The cost of biodegradable plastic bag comes at Rs 1.50 per bag. A single plastic bag on the other hand comes for 15 paise. For six months we provided these bags along with brown paper bags and clay pots for free to the shopkeepers,” said the official.
Now, however, those headed to the CB Block market have to pay for such bags from the shopkeepers in case they don’t bring bags from home.
“We charge Rs 2 to Rs 5 per bag from the customers. Residents of nearby blocks don’t protest but those who come to our market from other places often complain,” said Kartik Mondal who owns a meat shop in the market.
Sourav Mukherjee of Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage that is supplying the bags and pots said that they are sourcing these items from eight self-help groups of which six are based around New Town.