Solution

As the Centre has decided to ban the use of single-use plastic from July 1, the hill State of Himachal Pradesh is all set to kick-start a buy-back scheme in schools and colleges to purchase the single-use plastic items from students in a bid to instil a sense of environment preservation. The students would be encouraged to bring single-use plastic items from their home and deposit it with the school, for which they will be paid ₹75 a kg by the government. As a pilot project, the buy-back scheme will be started in 100 schools from July 1. The purpose is to catch the students in their early years and teach them about environmental conservation. The HIMCOSTE is the State nodal agency for the National Green Crops — Eco-club Programme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Government of India — and is implementing the national scheme in 3,000 eco-club schools and 100 colleges in Himachal Pradesh. The scheme also aims to involve teachers, school management committees and parents by creating awareness surrounding the ill-effects of plastic waste at the district-level through the eco-club schools, covering both rural and urban schools.