In the battle between plastic and sustainable development, Nagaland is the latest state to declare a ban on plastics. Some of the other states to have declared a ban earlier are Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In fact, Ooty became the first hill station to ban single use plastic in January 2019.

Sustainable development has been a struggle for developing economies. Plastic is cheap and thus, its usage is widespread. However, it comes with a heavy price. Its non-biodegradable nature combined with its wide spread use, creates a deadly weapon that threatens our ecosystem.

Nagaland had notified ‘a policy for restricting the use of plastics’ last November but recently, the governor imposed a total ban on single-use plastics in the state to “eradicate the menace of plastics and the serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by rampant use of plastics.” They include carry bags, cutlery, polythene, food packaging, straws etc. Any breach would be liable to pay penalties.   

Did you know that a small village in the state had led the way? A purely community driven initiative in the Mopungchuket village, they successfully banned the use of plastics in May 2019. The villagers had discussed this issue way back in 2013 and in 2017, had agreed to ban single-use plastic.