The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s ban on plastic, issued to wedding halls in a notification this month, has only been partially successful. On the one hand, misguided caterers and wedding hall owners, in attempt to follow the rules have started relying on disposable paper glasses and cups. While some varieties have a coat of plastic, others contribute to bulk waste. Activist hope that steel plates will become the norm, but so far, they have failed to pick up. The manager of a wedding hall in Shivajinagar said people were making use of acrylic plates for food and paper cups for desserts or beverage. “Some people serve welcome drinks and set up chaat stalls as part of the buffet. For these, they are using paper cups and glasses,” he said. Using paper cups, however, is in violation of BBMP’s directions, said N.S. Ramakanth, member of Technical Advisory Committee of Solid Waste Management and co-founder of Solid Waste Management Round Table. “Wedding halls are not supposed to use any disposable materials. They have been given three months to fall in line with the directions,” he said, and added that the halls have to provide dishwashing and plate bank facilities. “They usually put the onus on caterers. But licenses are issued to the halls and they are expected to comply with these norms,” Mr. Ramakanth added. Those serving a traditional South Indian fare are utilising eco-friendly banana leaves while ubiquitous buffet options rely on acrylic and melamine plates. “Such crockery needs to be transported carefully as they are delicate, but they make a good alternative to plastic plates. In the longer run, it works out cheaper than plastic as these are reusable,” said Manohar Rajpurohit, who runs a catering business in Bengaluru. Plate banks Many wedding halls — especially the smaller ones — have put the onus of providing plates on caterers. A manager of a wedding hall in Girinagar said, “Maintaining steel plates is labour intensive. In case of a wedding with more than 500 guests, it becomes cumbersome to clean these plates. People complain about hygiene issues,” he said, and added that their convention centre provided steel glasses but not plates. Activists have urged the BBMP to crackdown on halls using disposable paper cups and plates. Malini Parmar of Bangalore Eco Team said, “It’s a myth that steel is maintenance intensive. When it is washed properly, it will last longer than acrylic or melamine plates as it does not stain or break easily. Paper cups only add to the problem of solid waste management.”

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