Why Nilgiris can't shake off its mountain of plastic
In 2001, when Supriya Sahu, then Nilgiris collector, visited the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, what caught her eye wasn't a tiger or an elephant, but a mound of garbage full of plastic carry-bags.
A child from the tribal community approached her and said matter-of-factly: "The elephants come here at night. They eat from this, even the plastic." Soon after, Sahu imposed a ban on plastic carry bags, making the Nilgiris the first district in India to take such a step. Two decades on, however, the Nilgiris' plastic-free dream, possibly Tamil Nadu's best chance at its vision of becoming a plastic-free state, seems more distant than ever.
More than half the district is a reserve forest, and as tourist footfalls rise, so does the plastic they leave behind. "Tamil Nadu has made major strides in tackling plastic pollution, but we're still far from a complete solution. Decades of dependence on plastic bags can't be undone overnight," says Sahu. Though the movement began in the Nilgiris, Sahu says the work is ongoing. "We're surrounded by states that haven't banned plastic, but Tamil Nadu stands out.
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We're the only ones to ban carry-bags of all microns. It's a tough fight, but we're making progress."
While the plastic ban was initiated in the Nilgiris in 2001 by Sahu, collector J Innocent Divya continued the battle to keep the blue mountains green. Taking inspiration from the Nilgiris, in 2019, the state banned 19 categories of single-use plastics, and a 2020 court order barred one- and two-litre plastic water bottles in the Nilgiris.
Flying squads were engaged to check the use of banned items. Also, dump yards in Ooty and Coonoor, the two largest municipalities, were converted into efficient waste management parks.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the increased use of plastic items in personal protective equipment were a setback. Also, the district's efforts continue to be hampered by inconsistent enforcement and a widespread lack of awareness, particularly among tourists.
V Sivadas, managing trustee of social organisation NEST, says the problem lies in public indifference. "Unsegregated garbage dumped by the roadside attracts wild animals and creates health hazards," he says.
Rohit Jain, member of the Ooty Citizens Forum, calls for a centralised waste disposal system in Ooty and suggests installing CCTV cameras in public areas to catch those who litter. "The fines collected could fund better waste management," he says.
Nilgiris collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru says enforcing the plastic ban remains difficult due to limited legal backing. "We're doing our best at the district level such as issuing gazette notifications and imposing fines but the law is unclear, making enforcement legally complex," she says. To curb the inflow of banned plastics, women volunteers from self-help groups (SHGs) are stationed at check posts to screen tourists.
"But tourists question their authority, which puts undue pressure on these volunteers," she says.
The biggest challenge, she adds, is with tourist buses. "Inspecting all 50 passengers would cause traffic jams. So instead, we've made travel agents accountable. A district-level notification now allows us to fine agents who bring in tourists carrying banned plastic." Tour operators from other districts and states have been instructed to keep garbage bins in their buses and hand over collected waste at designated centres near the bus stands.
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has also been directed to screen passengers for banned plastic items before boarding.
Revenue officials inspect shops and warehouses for banned plastics and impose fines when needed. However, roadside littering, especially in ghat sections, is rampant. Several wild animal deaths have been reported due to plastic ingestion. "All we can do is promote responsible disposal," says Lakshmi.
"But we are met with a lack of civic responsibility among the public."
B J Krishnan, former member of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, says Tamil Nadu's anti-plastic programme is ahead of many states but needs stronger legal backing. "Enforcement must be supported by law, ideally through legislation under the Environmental Protection Act," he says. "The court's order on the plastic ban could also be used to strengthen this.
While our per capita plastic use is lower than in developed countries, legal support is needed for lasting impact.
"
Sahu says the govt hasn't issued licences to manufacture banned plastic items since the ban was enforced. More than 200 illegal plastic production units were also shut down. "To tackle plastic pollution, we launched the 'Manjapai' campaign that has gained momentum," she says. Under an annual maintenance contract, the govt installed 200 manjapai vending machines across Tamil Nadu.
In coastal areas such as Besant Nagar and Neelankarai in Chennai, it launched the Blue Brigade, a team that engages shopkeepers and spreads awareness about plastic pollution.
"We're urging district collectors to strictly enforce the ban, and inspections are ongoing," says Sahu.
Another initiative is the fishnet programme in coastal regions. "We're asking fishermen not to discard old nets into the ocean," she says.
In the past five months, 17 tonnes of discarded fishnets were collected, preventing them from polluting the sea. The govt compensated fishermen with ₹7 lakh through recycling partners.
Speaking on World Environment Day, Chief Minister M K Stalin reminded citizens that keeping Tamil Nadu plastic-free is a shared responsibility and urged people to treat cloth bags and water bottles as everyday essentials, just like their phones.
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