When was single use plastic invented

A rally and an awareness drive at Visakhapatnam Railway Station were organised as part of the campaign on the ban on single-use plastic in trains and at railway stations by the Waltair Division. The event was organised by the Environment Management and House Keeping branch of Waltair Division in association with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). Scouts and Guides and students of Kendriya Vidyalaya took out an impressive rally with placards on the hazards of single-use plastics and the need to adopt alternative prodcuts, as part of the programme. Leaflets on various issues like safety issues, trespassing, littering, ban on single-use plastic, unwanted chain pulling and ticketless travel, were released at the station by the guests. A stall displaying the healthy alternatives to plastic carrybags, was put up to create awareness among the rail users. Cloth bags were distributed to the public at the station. Indian Cricketer and Swachh Visakha Ambassador K.S. … [Read more...] about Visakhapatnam: shun single-use plastic, people urged

The Mysuru City Corportion (MCC) has taken measures for strict enforcement of ban on single use plastic (SUP) as notified in the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change. The Centre notified that the ban would come into effect from July 1, 2022 and the MCC was cracking down on the SUP to comply with the rules. In connection with the SUP and to clear the confusion over it, the traders and merchants were subjected to a 3-hour orientation of the rules on Wednesday. MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy and Additional Commissioner M.J. Roopa told media persons on Wednesday said that the drive is already on since a week and so far the MCC has imposed and collected ₹12 lakh by way of fine besides seizing 1,250 kg of banned plastic. Mr. Reddy said that the objective of the MCC drive was not to penalise and prosecute the traders but to ensure a switch to more environmental-friendly and green alternatives for public good. … [Read more...] about Rule banning single use plastic being strictly enforced

Concerned over the rampant use of environmentally hazardous ‘non-woven’ plastic carry bags across the State, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to impose a complete ban on its use from January 1, 2023. Last month, the State government had banned the use of non-woven plastic carry bags less than 60 Gram per Square Meter (GSM), apart from the use of plastic carry-bags, irrespective of their sizes and thickness. However, after observing that the non-woven plastic carry bags, which contains non-bio-degradable polypropylene - were being used at a large scale in the markets across the hill state, the government has now decided to completely prohibit the use of non-woven plastic carry bags, by putting a ban on such bags of more than 60 GSM as well. The decision of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur led BJP government would come into effect from January 1, 2023, for which a notification has been issued. The decision to impose ban on non-woven plastic carry bags came after it was … [Read more...] about Himachal Pradesh decides to ban ‘non-woven’ plastic carry bags from Jan 1, 2023

Beaches in city are set to be plastic-free as the Greater Chennai Corporation has intensified its drive against use of plastics. Flying squads inspected 1,596 shops on the beaches as part of the drive. Of the 1,391 shops which were inspected on the Marina beach between August 5 and 8, 61 were found to be using banned plastics. A fine of ₹15,700 was collected from the shops. Of the 174 shops inspected on Elliot’s Beach in Ward 174, 40 were found to be using banned plastics. Similarly, eight of the 31 shops on Thiruvanmiyur beach in Ward 180 had defied the ban on plastics. A total of 109 shops have been penalised for violating the ban on plastics. Around 7% of the shops that were inspected during the drive were found to have violated the ban on plastics, the officials said. Cleaning drive Six machines and special teams of conservancy workers have been deployed to clear plastic waste at regular intervals on the beaches. Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Monday … [Read more...] about Corporation steps up drive to make Chennai beaches plastic-free

The Madras High Court on Friday asked the State government to explain why Aavin, the popular brand owned by Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, should not stop selling milk in plastic packets and instead use glass bottles or paper cartons. Justices S. Vaidyanathan and P.T. Asha raised the question to Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran during the hearing of a revision petition filed by plastic manufacturers against certain plastic products that had been banned by the State government. The AAG said, the government was committed to eradicating all harmful products and that if plastic milk packets were found to be harmful, then they would certainly be replaced and sold in glass bottles as it was done years ago. He agreed to obtain instructions from the government. Justice Asha pointed out Amul and a few other brands sell milk in paper cartons. Seeking time to explore such possibilities, the AAG said, the officials had recently raided over 22,000 … [Read more...] about Madras HC: ‘Is it right to sell Aavin milk in plastic packets?’

A research team has created nano sponges that can effectively filter organic pollutants from water. Researchers Changxia Li and Freddy Kleitz from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna in Austria built their own material for the filters. Using a combination of a highly porous covalent organic framework (COF) and graphene, they found they could effectively scrub pollutants away. The results of the study were published in the weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal Angewandte Chemie . The new material is efficient in filtering organic pollutants, such as organic dyes, which are usually soluble in water, non-degradable and sometimes even carcinogenic, as reported by the university on August 1. The first author of the study and postdoctoral scientist Li said: "There are various ways today, including activated carbon filters, to purify water, but there is still room for improvement in terms of the efficiency or adsorption capacity of the applications." According to … [Read more...] about Scientists invent nano sponges that scrub pollutants from waste water

It has become next to impossible to find a street in Puducherry where garbage is not piled up in the corner with community dogs and stray cattle foraging through it. Against the backdrop of a multitude of problems plaguing solid waste management in Puducherry, including allegations of corruption in waste handling and complaints of inefficient service, Shilpataru, an artists group, has chosen ‘Up-Cycled Art’ as the theme for their event (March 1 to 8) this year which is being held at the Art Beat gallery on Perumal Koil Street. The event features seven art works, which use trash material in creative ways to depict the garbage problem and environmental hazards with the aim to make people conscious towards an attitudinal change in how waste is disposed. “As artists, we are more sensitive to the garbage situation around us, and want to do something about it,” said Kirti Chandak from Shilpataru. In the giant sized installation piece, ‘Next Step?’ by Shanmugam H., which has been placed … [Read more...] about Using trash creatively for environmental awareness

Fishermen have been accused of 'brutal' behaviour after a gruesome video showed them using FORKS to catch an octopus . However, some viewers claim the fishermen's method is "natural". The footage, shot in East Java, Indonesia, has had 23,000 hits but viewers are undecided on whether the alternative fishing method is "inhumane”. In the film, fishermen are seen digging up in a shallow rock pool, using a fork to work out where the water is deeper. They then insert food, believed to be chicken, on a line. As soon as a tentacle reaches up, they grab the animal and tug it up. Controversial: Octopus fishing using forks in Indonesia A brief battle ensues as the black octopus fights for its release, but the fishermen win, securing the creature in a plastic bag. Read more: Fish sliced and served on plate comes back to life One viewer on Live Leak, where the video first surfaced said: "Sad to see such an awesome creature be brutalised.” Grab: The octopus fought … [Read more...] about Octopus tentacles shoot out of rock pool as fishermen use controversial fork method to catch creature

Multimillionaire Rishi Sunak has confessed he had to be taught how to use a contactless bank card. The out-of-touch Tory leadership hopeful was pictured in March struggling to buy a can of his beloved Coke at a petrol garage. A viral clip showed the till worker raising a barcode scanner, but instead of presenting the can, Mr Sunak held up his card to the plastic screen. Now he’s admitted it was “the most embarrassing thing” that’s happened during his time as Chancellor - and someone had to explain the technology to him afterwards. An ally of Mr Sunak later insisted it was a joke. “The most embarrassing thing that's happened to me is I struggled to pay for the petrol in a car that wasn't my own,” he told a Tory leadership hustings in Darlington. “Right? So I think you all know about that, right? “And since then someone's taught me how to use that contactless machine. “And I tell you, it's an amazing modern marvel this technology these days!” The gaffe happened … [Read more...] about Rishi Sunak admits someone had to teach him how to use a contactless bank card

Ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu sailed into the pre-quarterfinals of the women's singles event with a comfortable straight game win over Maldives' Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday. It was always going to be a tough task for Fathimath against the two-time Olympic medallist, who pocketed the Round of 32 match 21-4 21-11 in just 21 minutes. Sindhu, the last edition's silver silver medallist in the singles, hardly broke a sweat while toying with her opponent in the first game. Without adopting an aggressive approach, Sindhu outfoxed the Maldives’ shuttler with her all-round game. She mostly used her deceptive drop-shots to garner points. In the second game, Fathimath produced some resistance initially and was on level terms with Sindhu till 9-9, as the Indian mostly gave away points on unforced errors. But Sindhu got her composure back and went into the breather leading 11-9. After the break, it was all Sindhu as she ran away … [Read more...] about Commonwealth Games 2022 | P.V. Sindhu sails into women’s singles pre-quarters