I think the July 1st ban of Plastic in twin cities without providing alternatives is uncalled for.There are way too many questions to be answered.Will ban of plastic bags work out the environmental concerns? Are there any alternate solutions in place?Is there a market based way out to the problems?If so,how does it work? Are there any stories of success? Most Plastic bags are from polyethylene,which consists of chains of ethylene which never dies,which is derived from petroleum & natural gas.
Life without plastic seems hard.I do find shopping without Plastic Bags an arduous task.Paper bags,Jute bags,Cloth bags,etc when did I see them last.I cann’t recall.Every small thing we buy from road side is packed in plastic/papaer.Last time when I went to pay for Jute Bags,each cost me Rs50,Plastic Bags used to Cost me Rs5.
True,Plastic Bags do Cost indirectly; Environment Damage,but without providing suitable options & banning them is idiocy.Past 2 weeks I find myself spending double time @ Reliance to buy my weekly quota of vegetables than what I used to do in past with plastic bags.Not to forget that after reaching Home by car (1/4th Plastic) We have to sort out the vegetables to put them in the refrigerator (Resource Eating tool)
Before 1980s there were no plastic & we cannot judge against the past,with amenities we are habituated to now.But life did exist then too,without plastic.Gone are the Days when we used to buy our daily quota of vegetables from the Street corner Sabzi Wala.These days we all buy weekly quotas,lest we never know when something may go out of control,I mean like bandh,blasts,rains,etc.Since 1980s,the use of plastic bags became common for carrying groceries from the store to homes.Increasing plastic bags have replaced paper bags.In fact material like glass,metal,stone,timber & others are easily replaced with Plastic.Profits were the motive behind the businesses to convert consumers to plastic,Cheap Oil made Cheap Plastic.It was handy to store,transport,& manage plastic bags than other type of bags.I do wonder why just Plastic Bags,what about the other Plastic Items?
Most of the Bags because they are light & aerodynamic are easily carried away by wind end up as litter on roads,garbage disposals sites,drainages,clogging sewage system,sea & even the oceans.It is the lack of proper disposal system that causes environmental concerns.What we need is an equally inexpensive & convenient alternative to the plastic bags.The social,civil & environmental cost of using plastics bags is far higher than the cost of Plastic Bags.
Alternatives I suggest are Pay a high price for the Plastic bags,this will deter people from using them.I did notice this at Metro Where the Bag is Charged 5 Rs & people prefer using discarded cardboard boxes which are cheaper instead of the Costly Plastic Bags.Buy Plastic Bags or get your Own Jute or Cloth or Paper bags.The Same environmentalists who cried against paper bags are now begging for paper instead of Plastic.Strange!
Disciplining Indians for more socially acceptable behavior is next to impossible,even for Creator.Bans have never worked in this country as we are master at finding holes in the systems.Instead of making Hue & Cry,Learn to be a disciplined Citizen by disposing the plastic bags properly.
Biodegradable Plastic decays in matter of 60-180 days & costs 200 Rs./Kg.They are made from aliphatic polyesters or Polyvinyl alcohol or even Cellulose esters.I found them useful than the paper bags.
May be plastic collection booths where the 5 Rs bag is brought back for 1 Rs.It is a safer way to collect rather than dispose anywhere.This might bring the usage down & detest people from using Plastic Bags.BTW for those who are paying a high price for Petrol,remember plastic is a product of petroleum.So who knows,petrol price may go down too.
What do you do with your newspaper,sell it to the raddiwala,Don't Do that,try some activity for your whole family,make Paper bags out of the newspaper.How about old pillow covers?
Use the Jute or canvas Bags & at least let the cottage industry prosper by your patronizing it. These bags are tough,reliable & do not tear up when carrying them,It’s quite a scene at times.
May be the Govt.can tax 2/3% more for those retailers who continue using Plastic Bags.The retailer may pass the burden on to the consumer & the Consumer will detest from using Plastic Bags.Countries like Ireland,China,SA,Thailand & even Uganda,Eritrea,Bangladesh have banned or placed restrictions on Plastic Bags.
It is not that paper bags are environmental friendly; they are lesser devil than the plastics.Do remember the re-usage of the Plastic Bags by us is very High,We don't discard them very easily.Paper or Plastic? Hey Dude,I am not talking about Money,It is about the Bag!!!
