Let's say NO to PLASTIC BAGS

Many accused the Delhi Government‘s banning of the ubiquitous plastic bags in shops and hotels since January 2009 as overkill and unmindful of its many benefits.The court however observed that plastics had indeed become a serious hazard and upheld the decision.

Plastic carry bags that are so liberally doled out by grocers and store-keepers are emerging a major killer. They are made of polythene, a product of petroleum and can be seen littered on roadsides, drains and fields while you travel by car or train. They choke landfills and drains and have even caused floods. They block the intestines of cattle and marine animals when they are ingested mistakenly while grazing, and kill around 10, 00,000 each year by painfully strangulating their intestines or by choking. Disposing these bags is not easy; their burning releases toxins that are harmful to environment and us. Burying them causes the landfills to choke as polythene does not breakdown and decompose easily, and when they do, release toxins into the soil that find their way into the food chain.

Sometimes plastic bag litter can have even further consequences. According to Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Wangari Mathaai, discarded bags fill up with rainwater and become perfect breeding grounds for malaria-bearing mosquitoes. Researchers from United Nations Environment Program have recommended banning of plastic bags to check malaria and save lives in several such countries. Social costs of plastic litter add up as well; countries lacking comprehensive waste management often sprout underground economies of ragpickers — typically children who wander refuse heaps and collect potentially recyclable materials for sale to shady businessmen operating from official dump sites.

The problem with plastic bags is that it has become the victim of its own success. It is cheap, light, impervious and convenient with around 5 trillion produced each year. Their menace can be contained by the 4-Rs — Reduce, Recycle, Re-use, Repair. Encouraging the use of locally-made cotton or jute bags is more environment friendly.  Several developed countries have concentrated on re-use. Unfortunately the disposal, collection and recycling of used plastic bags in poor countries pose logistic problems with less than 1% ever been recycled.

Visionary governments may follow the Delhi’s example, but till such time, what can we do as responsible citizen? If we take our jute or cotton “jholas” when we go to the grocers, it would reduce the use of plastics. Celebrities could make it a fashion statement and the media can publicize it. Retailer chains could offer an option of jute bag carry aways, at a little extra price; many of us wouldn’t mind it. And if we could ensure clearing of the littered bags in our vicinity, we could reduce the breeding places of mosquitoes and the harm they cause to cattle. A difference, no matter how small, is urgently worth making, and we can set examples and inspire others to join in.

 As published in HT City( Hindustan Times)