NEWS

Even as regular plastic bags have been banned in the Capital, the Delhi Government is all set to introduce a new kind of plastic bag: woven bags using old plastic. The government has given grants to four NGOs to manufacture alternate bags. Three of them will manufacture these bags on polylooms, in which old plastic will be spun on a loom to create woven plastic bags. These bags are claimed to be sturdier than the ordinary ones. “Old plastic is washed and dried, and then long strips are put in the loom. These are then used to create a woven plastic bag. This bag is thicker than regular plastic bags and lasts longer,” says a senior official from the Department of Environment. The Department of Environment has now written to the CPWD and the PWD to formulate an action plan to use plastic in the construction of roads. It has also asked the Delhi Commission for Women, the Social Welfare Department and the Delhi Khadi Board to use plastic in products like mats and furniture. “In this system, plastic bags are shredded into thin ribbons. This is then woven like a ‘dari’, creating a fabric. The fabric can be used in whichever way required,” explains Bharati Chaturvedi of Chintan, an NGO working on environmental research and advocacy, which has also run a polyloom project.