Ban on thermocol items only on paper in Una

Rajesh Sharma

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Una, July 8

The state government banned the use of thermocol plates and cups in June 2018, but the material is readily available at stores, which sell these for use during marriages and parties.

General grocery stores all over the district, including rural areas, have stocks of these items. Thermocol plates and cups come in handy during marriages, religious festivals, langars and functions, where people partake meals since these are available at cheap prices, are heat insulating, and disposable. Thermocol, scientifically called as expanded polystyrene, is made of compounds that are known to cause cancer besides causing abnormalities in a baby when it is in the womb.

Tonnes of chemical waste is burnt in different parts of Una city by the civic bodies and organisers of functions, little knowing that the fumes generated by thermocol, when inhaled, are far more toxic to human health.

Vinod Kumar, a tent house owner who also arranges marriages, said thermocol plates and cups are readily available in the district.

The government ban on the use of disposable thermocol plates and cups seem to appear only on papers, as there is neither a legislation to check the inflow of material into the state, nor the law enforcement agencies are conducting any surprise checks or raids on shops selling these items.