State to appoint brand ambassadors to spread the word on plastic ban

“While the Marathi actors will connect with rural people, we will have others to connect with urban people as well. We want people from different sections of society to influence people and create awareness on the plastic ban. There would be up to five brand ambassadors,” said Satish Gavai, additional chief secretary of the environment department.

Gavai said the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been asked to approach these personalities. “We may finalise them in the next 15 days,” he added.

Another official said that the names of several Bollywood personalities were discussed. “Some of them are known faces and are seen endorsing products. We want to have brand ambassadors with some background in social causes,” added the official.

The Maharashtra government has announced a proposed ban on all plastic carry bags and plastic water bottles in government offices and star hotels from March next year. It has formed four teams to study laws and implementation of the ban in other states. Last week, a team went to Sikkim to study their plastic ban, which is considered the most successful in the country, said an official from the environment department.

Recently, the department and MPCB held division-level meetings in Nashik, Aurangabad and other places to discuss the ban with stakeholders. “The attempt is to sensitise officials and stakeholders about the importance of the plastic ban and to get their active involvement in the implementation. Besides, we also wanted to seek their feedback on the ban,” added the official.