Athirappilly-Chalakkudy tourist belt yet to wake up to plastic ban

Athirappilly: Despite being notified as a plastic-free tourist destination, the Athirappilly-Chalakkudy sector, a popular getaway, appears completely ignorant to the rules in place.

Though waste bins, including sturdy iron ones, have been installed at several points along the road from Chalakkudy to Athirappilly, they have done little to prevent the careless dumping of plastic bottles and waste. In the parking area near the Athirappilly waterfalls, plastic bottles, food wrappers and leftover food can be seen strewn across the ground.

Though the infrastructure is in place, public discipline remains sorely lacking as tourists continue to ignore the bins and litter the surroundings indiscriminately.

The Kerala High Court recently imposed a strict ban on single-use plastic in auditoriums, hotels, restaurants and hilly tourist destinations across the state. The ban covers plastic bottles below 5 litres, soft drink bottles under 2 litres, plastic straws, plates, cups, spoons, knives, food containers and bakery boxes, among other items.

Despite this, plastic bottles are routinely discarded all along the route to Athirappilly, even under signboards that explicitly warn against throwing plastic. They are often found piled up in roadside parking spots, plantation areas and forest edges. Most of the plastic waste is seen littered in roadside parking spots, where tourist vehicles frequently stop

In many locations, local panchayats have installed waste bins and are ensuring prompt removal of waste. However, plastic litter from tourist vehicles continues to blight the landscape including the plantations and even he forest land