These bags are claimed to be sturdier than the ordinary ones. “Old plastic is washed and dried, and then long strips are put in the loom. These are then used to create a woven plastic bag. This bag is thicker than regular plastic bags and lasts longer,” says a senior official from the Department of Environment.

Three grants of over Rs 2 lakh each have been given to the All India Women Conference, GDS Society and Kirandeep for making bags of woven plastic. Another NGO, Nari Utthan Samiti, has got a grant of Rs 2 lakh for making cloth bags. “It is part of our strategy to advocate the re-use of plastic. The bag made on the polyloom is a value-added product and cannot be viewed as a regular plastic bag,” adds the official.

The government is also considering giving grant to a group, which specialises in manufacturing jute bags.

Following a High Court order, plastic bags have been banned in all large shopping centres, hotels and hospitals. Only biodegradable plastic bags are allowed in smaller commercial areas. The HC judgment, however, also allows the use of plastic bags of over 40 microns in thickness in smaller commer-cial areas.

The Department of Environment has now written to the CPWD and the PWD to formulate an action plan to use plastic in the construction of roads. It has also asked the Delhi Commission for Women, the Social Welfare Department and the Delhi Khadi Board to use plastic in products like mats and furniture.

“In this system, plastic bags are shredded into thin ribbons. This is then woven like a ‘dari’, creating a fabric. The fabric can be used in whichever way required,” explains Bharati Chaturvedi of Chintan, an NGO working on environmental research and advocacy, which has also run a polyloom project.