Gangtok, Mar 5 : Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang on Saturday launched the plastic waste awareness week, laying stress on finding an alternative for single use plastic. ‘Everyone needs to change their mentality, which should not take more than 15 days. We have been troubling Mother Earth by using single-use Plastic. Plastic makes the soil week and polluted. The animals and fish die if they eat plastic. The environment is polluted,” said Tamang during the programme. Tamang asserted that plastic has to be banned. “On October 2 last we banned the use of two-litre plastic water bottles. But some people have produced water with bottles marked 2.1 litre without concern about pollution, and only for profit,” he said. The state food department has informed that plastic bottles of up to three litres have already been banned in India as per an existing Act. Finally, the Chief Minister stated that the restrictions would be implemented with the support of the public, the Panchayats, students and the State Pollution Control Board. NN SSP