Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Mahesh Basnet has demanded the government introduce a system to return the plastic packets of noodles and Gutkha. He said the majority of the garbage collected during the cleaning of rivers contained noodle and Gutkha packets.

Speaking at the meeting of federal House of Representatives on Friday, Basnet put forth the idea to control the culture of random littering after the use of packaged food items.

He proposed the ‘cash for trash’ policy where a consumer can get the cash for returning the used packets that will help in garbage management.

“While cleaning the rivers we came across innumerable quantity of noodle and gutkha packets. Gutkha must be banned,” said Basnet. “There should be a provision to return the noodle packets.”

Basnet proposed a rupee addition to the current cost of noodles and upon returning the packet a consumer will be given a rupee for each packet he produces. This would help in keeping our roads and rivers clean , he said.

Carelessly thrown rubbish, a common sight in many parts of Kathmandu, have been making the city look bad. Members of civil society and political leaders have stood together in the past with an aim to beautify the city.

Despite cross-sectoral efforts to make the city clean, the sight of garbage seems perennial in Kathmandu. One of the most disturbing forms of garbage found in the rivers of Kathmandu are noodle packets and Gutkha—a mixture of chewing tobacco, betel nut, and palm nut.