Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar witnessed a massive increase in plastic waste during this year’s Rath Yatra celebrations, with sanitation teams clearing nearly six tonnes extra of disposable items from the city’s streets. The waste, largely in the form of plastic cups, spoons, food packets, and water pouches, was left behind by lakhs of devotees who thronged the capital for a glimpse of the chariots and partaking prasad.According to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the bulk of plastic waste came from prasad distribution near the chariots. Devotees were handed offerings in single-use plastic cups, which quickly piled up across multiple locations as the chariots rolled through the city.“The plastic waste on Rath Yatra was found strewn across many roads as chariots rolled in multiple locations in the city and people thronged the places for a darshan and partaking of prasad. Mostly, the plastic containers that were used for prasad distribution formed majority of the bulk of waste that sanitation teams had to deal with early in the morning,” said BMC deputy commissioner (sanitation) N. Ganesh Babu.On Thursday, sanitation workers began clearing the waste in the early hours of the following morning. The collected plastic was transported to material recovery facility (MRF) units, where it will be crushed and sent for recycling. Officials said the swift clearance was necessary to prevent choking of drains and to maintain hygiene in the city’s busy thoroughfares.While the BMC managed to handle the immediate challenge, the incident has reignited concerns over the use of single-use plastics during large public gatherings. Environmentalists have pointed out that despite repeated campaigns against plastic usage, festivals continue to generate significant amounts of non-biodegradable waste. The Rath Yatra, one of the biggest religious events in Odisha, reflected the scale of the problem when lakhs of devotees converge on a single day.BMC officials revealed that if 800 metric tonne of municipal solid waste is generated daily from the city, close to 240 tonne is plastic waste, which contain carry bags, food packets and multi-layer household plastic items and PET bottles. In enforcement activities, wholesale suppliers are mostly the target and fines are also collected from small traders and vendors for using them. But, the manufacturers are yet to come under scanner, BMC officials said.The civic body has indicated that it will explore stricter measures to curb plastic use during future festivals, including encouraging biodegradable alternatives for prasad distribution.
