https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Want to Beat Plastic Pollution? Learn from Tiny State Sikkim

Indian Masterminds special feature on World Environment Day This year’s theme focuses on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution Sikkim became the first Indian state to ban disposable plastic bags
Indian Masterminds Stories

The tiny state of Sikkim, nestled in the Himalayas, has emerged as one of India’s environmental leaders. On June 4 1998, it became the first Indian state to ban disposable plastic bags. The state is also among the first to target single-use plastic bottles. In 2016, it banned the use of packaged drinking water in government offices and events, and the use of Styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates and cutlery in the entire state.

However, with a large number of tourists visiting Sikkim, it was challenging to control the use of plastic water bottles. Nevertheless, on 1 January 2022, the state government banned the use of 2 litres and below plastic bottles in the entire state. Tourists would now need to get their drinking water from filters in hotels, restaurants and public spaces.

WHAT BROUGHT SUCCESS

Sikkim replaced plastic bags with paper, cloth bags and leaves long before environmentalists raised an alarm about plastic choking cities and oceans. It imposed the ban on plastic bags after a spate of landslides in 1998, when experts feared they were partly caused because drains choked with plastic waste left no outlet for torrential rainwater.

And on plastic water bottles, the government held the view that the rampant usage of packaged drinking water in departmental meetings and functions was adding an unnecessary burden on the dump yards so it banned their use in official functions. On 1st January 2022, the government imposed a ban on 2-litre and above-packaged water bottles in the entire state. Impacted by it, Mineral water giant Bisleri challenged the court order. The case is still pending.

Massive awareness drives and heavy penalties have brought the desired results. Government offices switched to alternatives like filtered water, large reusable dispensers and reusable water bottles. Most shoppers come to markets with cloth bags, and stalls offer colourful ones. Fast food joints serve on plates of paper, leaf, areca nut and bagasse – a fibre byproduct of sugarcane processing.

Speaking to Indian Masterminds, District Collector of Gyalshing, Ms. Yishey D. Yongda, said, “We place water filters in strategic places, like near police check posts, so that besides the tourists, even policemen can drink water from them.”

She also set up e-Waste collection centres in government offices as well as in public places with the slogan, ‘Repair. Reuse, Recover, Recycle – Let’s protect Mother Earth by disposing of e-Waste responsibly’, to make it convenient for people to dispose of their e-Waste regularly.

Cleanliness drive on the eve of World Environment Day 2023 in Gyalshing, led by Collector Yishey D. Yongda

LEADER AMONG STATES

Studies by Delhi-based Toxics Link and Pune-based eCoexist NGOs showed that Sikkim has fared quite well in the implementation of its green policies. The eCoexist’s study found that around 66 per cent of shops in Sikkim used paper bags or newspapers. Significantly, more people were using paper here than in most Indian states.

Through penalties, state-level policies, and a mass awareness programme, this tiny state is doing quite well in trying to free itself of the scourge of plastic pollution. As Gyalshing Collector Yishey D. Yongda, said: “Just as we celebrate Mother’s Day every year, we must love, respect and take care of our Mother Earth, who is finite, and resources aren’t infinite, they deplete.”

An initiative by education dept of Gyalshing district, Sikkim, on World Environment Day 2023

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Indian_Army_
Boosting Battlefield Logistics: Indian Army Signs Rs 223 Crore Deal for Next-Gen Tank Transporter Trailers
Matri Van
Green Vision for NCR: Bhupender Yadav and Manohar Lal Inaugurate Theme-Based Urban Forest ‘Matri Van’ in Aravallis
Sajad Mufti Kashmir
Who Is Former IFS Officer Sajad Mufti? He Returns to Politics, Reconnecting with People
IPS Vineet Kapoor
How IPS Vineet Kapoor Helped Spark a Statewide Awakening Against Drugs in Madhya Pradesh
SP Goyal
Loyalty, Central Ties, Clean Image: How Senior IAS SP Goyal Rose to Become Uttar Pradesh's Chief Secretary?
Haryana gov resized
Haryana Govt Posts 9 Newly Trained IPS & 1 HPS Officer Across the State After Training Completion at SVPNPA, Hyderabad
Modi Varanasi
Varanasi Leads UP's Development March as PM Modi Unveils ₹2,200 Cr Projects, PM-KISAN Funds Released
Bombay High Court
Decentralising Justice: Bombay High Court Bench Set to Start Functioning in Kolhapur from August 18
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Indian_Army_
Boosting Battlefield Logistics: Indian Army Signs Rs 223 Crore Deal for Next-Gen Tank Transporter Trailers
Matri Van
Green Vision for NCR: Bhupender Yadav and Manohar Lal Inaugurate Theme-Based Urban Forest ‘Matri Van’ in Aravallis
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT