Can plastics bags be REALLY banned?

Plastics are a menace to environment and mankind in the long run but it’s one thing that we can’t image our life without it. By plastic am not talking only about carry bags but all items made from plastics like chairs, water bottles etc. But plastics bags are the major contributor towards polluting our surroundings. As a result of which many states have imposed BAN on the usage of plastics in their state. Well appreciated but very few have been successful. Reason though the initiative was good but was not well researched before putting into action.

We can’t BAN plastic bags completely in India, its practically impossible reason we are addicted towards the usage of plastic bags. It’s convenient, user friendly and readily available. And nothing much has been done to identify a substitute for plastic bags. Though paper and cloth bags are available but it is practically impossible to carry them every time we move out. Suppose I am out just for a walk and I see fresh vegetable or fruits, WHAT option do I have? I can’t go back to my house to get a bag neither will the vegetable vendor wait for me. So I will be FORCED to rely on plastic bags, which will be readily available with the vendor. As they can’t AFFORD to keep cloth bag due to its cost. We can’t blame them for that.

Does that mean we should continue using plastic bags? No, REASON, substitute for plastic bags are available in other countries we just need to bring then to India. Some countries have been successful in making plastic like bag from TAPIOCA plant as it is more durable than plastic bags and is environment friendly too. The looks, feel and usage of these bags are similar to plastic bags. Best part is FEW southern states of India are into TAPIOCA cultivation.  

So we have the raw material readily available, we just need to identify the technology through which these plants can be converted in to user friendly carry bags, at low cost, so that people are encouraged to promote its usage among themselves and others, especially among shop keepers.  Once these bags are a huge success among shop keepers masses will slowly get used to them. We get plastic bags primarily from shops than anywhere else.

Next time any state want to impose BAN on the usage of plastic bag in their state, they should first try to come out with a substitute for these bags then impose the BAN, if they really want the ban to be success in the long run. Now people don’t have an alternative for plastic bags, so they are forced to revolt against the BAN but when options of ecofriendly, low cost bags are made available to them, masses will support to the cause whole heartedly, unlike the partial support rendered by people now.

Getting rid of plastics bag is a slow and gradual process which needs to be done meticulously over a period of time instead of using forceful means to get people abide by the DIKTAT on not using plastic bags. It’s not that people aren’t aware about the ill effect of plastic bags but they don’t have a choice other than using them in the hours of need.

Apart from plastic carry bags, something significant needs to be done with plastic pouches as well, we get milk, salt, pulses etc in plastic pouches, we need to figure out a way to get rid of them as well.

Getting RID of plastic bags is difficult but not difficult if we jointly put effort towards it. Simultaneously ways needs to be identified to use these waste plastic bags in some constructive work, like building road, brick manufacturing etc.

Why people throw garbage on Roads?

We criticize people who throw garbage on roads or on footpaths, ideally we should, as they are making the place dirty, which can have harmful impact on people’s health. But have we thought about the reasons WHY some people throw garbage on roads? I am sure most of us haven’t given a thought to it. Am one among you, but then one day when I saw person throwing garbage on road, decided to figure out the causes which force them to do it.

People staying in apartments have dedicated areas where they can dump segregated garbage, they abide it but for those aren’t staying in apartments have to wait for the BBMP vehicle, which comes once a day to collect garbage from individual households. It usually comes in morning at a stipulated time to collect garbage. They blow whistle to waken people from their deep sleep, it is also a reminder for people to place the garbage in the vehicle. Whistle is their signal

People have to be alert about the timings of the vehicle, else they will miss the chance for the day and they have to wait for another day. Timings vary from locality to locality, as the area covered is big and number of operational vehicle is less.

Early morning people are too busy getting ready to go for work, that they may not be able to focus their attention towards the whistle. Or when the vehicle is coming they will in the midst of some other work, which they couldn’t leave midway. There are people who have worked at night shift and have reached home to catch some sleep, HOW will they get up and dump garbage then? This forces people to look out for options to throw garbage to discharge waste and they dump it in open grounds.

Garbage collection vehicles don’t follow a stipulated timing, their timings vary from location to location. Some places garbage vehicle may come by 6am while at others it may come by 9am. 6 am is still a manageable time but 9am is the time, when people are usually expected to at their desk. THEN how can they place garbage in the vehicle? No office will give any employee the liberty to report for work after disposing the garbage of the day, Will they? I doubt. What’s the next best option available to such people? Dump garbage in open. Can we expect people to get up at 6am on weekend just to place garbage in the garbage vehicle? I don’t think so, hence they too join the brigade to dump garbage in open as they want to catch up with some sleep

If someone has to go out of town all of a sudden in the evening, WILL they wait till morning or hand over garbage to someone to throw it the next day in garbage vehicle? NO, they won’t, they will dump garbage in open and head for their destination as they are running short of options to tackle the situation in hand.

Above mentioned are few very basic circumstances which forces people to use open space to dump garbage. In all the cases people are left with very less options to discard their household garbage, hence they use the open places. Then public accuse people who dump garbage in open, I am not telling that we shouldn’t stop people from dumping garbage in open but should also understand their problems and come with some corrective measure.

Accusation is not the solution to a problem but remedy is. So if we focus our attention towards finding some solutions to the problem of throwing garbage in open, we can reduce the menace to some extent, if not completely.

I have a small suggestion, if BBMP places dustbin one for DRY and other for WET, with specification of items to be put in each bin and place it at each lane. These bins have to be enough to take the garbage of the people living in the lanes. These bins will be at designated places for people to throw garbage, then they can’t give lame excuses of office timings, trips or any such thing.  In some posh areas we can see this system in practice and the surroundings of these places are neat in comparison to other parts of the city.

If Waste Bins are placed at places within people’s reach, then who will take the pain of identifying an isolated ground to dump garbage in open. Today people are doing it as they don’t have any other option. We can never see people staying in apartments dumping garbage in open reason they have garbage dumping facility open to them 365 within their reach, then WHY should they take the risk of going out and dumping garbage in open?

I know this is a small step but it will make our surroundings a better place to live.