In a bid to protect the environment, the tourism board of Sikkim has decided to ban single-use plastic from January, 2022.
The Himalayan state, which is blessed with natural resources that provide fresh and good quality drinking water, has decided to make this transition in order to join the state government’s campaign of banning plastic in the region.
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The ban will be implemented throughout the state, in fact, the airlines and other transport service providers have been asked to avoid usage of plastic water bottles, Marcus P Rai, Joint Secretary, Tourism & Civil Aviation told Economic Times.
The state will try to offer alternatives to plastic which are more environmentally friendly and organic.
“We are encouraging villagers to mass-produce bottles from bamboo and other biodegradable materials,” he said.
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Not just airlines, even the home stays have been to strictly adhere by the ban.
Sikkim has 915 registered homestays in the state. Further in the conversation, Rai said that they are encouraging homestays as they give an authentic village experience.
“We ask them not to go overboard with facilities in the name of guest facilities which ultimately will dilute the authentic village experiences,” he said.
In October Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang also announced that packaged mineral water will be banned from January 1, 2022 in the Himalayan state.
The chief minister gave a three-month buffer time to deplete the existing stock of mineral water bottles available with business establishments.