Gandhinagar: Stating that it was time to decide whether the next generation will “have a plastic-free or plastic-laden environment,” chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday said that the campaign against single-use plastic should become a mass movement in Gujarat. Presiding over the state-level programme in Gandhinagar to mark World Environment Day, the chief minister also unveiled several projects aimed at environment protection. “The Prime Minister has envisioned environment-friendly development, and Gujarat will adhere to the principle of ensuring development in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner,” the CM said. Expressing concern over the environmental risks posed by the use of plastic, Patel remarked that while plastic is one of humanity’s impactful inventions and part of our lifestyle, single-use plastic can become a major problem for the environment and future generations. He appealed to people to use cloth bags, highlighting the installation of cloth bag vending machines and plastic bottle crusher machines at various locations in the state. He emphasized that small efforts and habits, like using cloth bags and carrying steel bottles for water, should be cultivated to initiate change. Under the ‘Green Wall of Aravalli Project’ initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Environment Day this year, the state govt plans to plant trees and saplings across 19,225 hectares in Aravalli, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Panchmahal, Mahisagar and Dahod.Environment and forest minister Mulubhai Bera said that the state govt has taken steps towards plastic management. He added that 646 plastic processing units, seven waste-to-energy plants and five co-processing cement plants are operational. Innovative steps like reverse vending machines, ATMs for cloth bags and eco-friendly offering boxes will help bring about a transformation towards environmental conservation. All items used at the World Environment Day event at Mahatma Mandir, such as flex banners, paper cups, food waste, materials used in exhibitions, flowers and decorative items, will be recycled, making it a ‘Zero Waste’ event, the organisers said. Visitors were provided with cloth bags, notepads made from recycled paper, plantable eco-friendly pens and steel bottles.