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Plastic
bags are highly toxic
According to studies by the Plastic Development Council under the department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, India will emerge as the third biggest consumer of plastics in the world by this year end.
Every year, around 500 billion (500,000,000,000) plastic bags are used worldwide. So many that over
one million bags are being used every minute and they're damaging our environment. India's plastics consumption is one of the highest in the world. Yet,
precious little has been done to recycle, re-use and dispose of plastic waste. Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and
most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to photo degrade. They break down into tiny toxic particles that
contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. But the problems
surrounding waste plastic bags starts long before they photo degrade. |
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Our planet is becoming
increasingly contaminated
by Plastic pollution and by our unnecessary use of plastic carry bags. Big black bin liners, plastic
carrier bags carrying advertising logos, clear sandwich bags, vegetable bags and a variety of other forms used to carry our daily
food items and other items are all polluting our environment. Just take a look around you. Plastic bags can be seen hanging from the
branches of trees, flying in the air on windy days, settled amongst bushes and floating on rivers. They clog up gutters and drains
causing water and sewage to overflow and become the breeding grounds of germs and bacteria that cause diseases.
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Animals and sea creatures are hurt and
killed every day by discarded plastic bags - a dead turtle with a plastic bag hanging from its mouth isn't a pleasant sight but
mistaking plastic bags for food is commonplace amongst marine animals. Plastic clogs their intestines and leads to slow
starvation. Others become entangled in plastic bags and drown.
Because plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down, every year our seas become 'home' to more and more bags that find their
way there through our sewers and waterways. Given India's poor garbage collection facilities, tons of plastic bags
litter the roads, preventing rainwater from seeping into the ground. Hundreds of cows die in New Delhi alone every year when they choke
on plastic bags while trying to eat vegetable waste stuffed in the garbage. |
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Every bag that's washed down a drain during rainfall ends up in the sea every
bag that's flushed down a toilet (many mall bags are), ends up in the sea - every bag that’s blown into a river will most likely end
up in the sea. Besides choking drains, plastics are highly toxics. When burned they release cancer-causing gases. Lying in the garbage,
polythene bags also find their way in gut of cattle, asphyxiating the animals. The cheap
bags contain chemicals such as cadmium- or lead- based chemicals that are harmful to health. They leach into vegetables,
meat and food.
An estimated 15 lakh computers and 30 lakh mobile phones are disposed of every year in India.
“Computers, mobiles and other electronic items generate hazardous e-waste like lead, brominated flame retardants and
chromium which can cause cancer,” There is another problem: India has more to deal with than just the waste generated at home. The
Environment Protection Authority of Britain recently said 23,000
tonnes of e-waste was dumped in India, China and Pakistan.
Several
Indian states banned plastic use
Several countries have already banned their use and more will
doubtless follow. Several Indian states such as Maharastra, Dehli, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Himanchal Pradesh, Goa , West Bengal etc. banned their use.
Mumbai's storm water drainage choking with accumulated plastics waste, making the floods unmanageable, is an old story. The
Environment Ministry has banned manufacture and use of plastics carry bags less than 8 inches X 12 inches in
size 20 micron in width. The ministry has also asked State Governments to register all plastics manufacturing unit, so that
these can be regulated.
Various States have increased the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags to even higher limits of 40, 50, or 70 microns. These States/ UTs are: Goa (40 micron), Himachal Pradesh ( 70 micron; HP Cabinet decided to ban plastics in the entire State with effect from
15.08.2009), Maharashtra (50 micron), Meghalaya ( 40 micron), Punjab (30 micron), Chandigarh (30 micron), West Bengal (40 micron ), Kerala (30 micron).
(a) The Government of Delhi issued a notification dated 21st November 2008 titled “ the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag ( Manufacturing, Sale and Usage )and Garbage (Control) (Amendment ) Act, 2008” Section 11(b0 of this notification stipulates that no person shall
manufacture, stock, distribute or sell plastic begs made of virgin of recycled, degradable or non –degradable plastic bags which are less than 40 microns in thickness. Another notification issued on 7th January
2009 under the powers delegated to Government of Delhi by the Central Government under Section -5 of the
Environment (Protection ) Act, 1986, which prohibits the use, sale and storage off all kinds of plastic bags in Five Star and Four Star Hotels, Hospitals with 100 more beds except the use of plastic bags as pres cribbed under Bio-medical Waste (management and handling) Rules, seats, all fruits and vegetable outlets selling different consumer products including fruits and vegetables.
(b) West Bengal Pollution Control Board has banned manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bags in ecologically fragile areas viz the entire Sunderban areas, Hilly areas of Darjeeling
distinct, Sub-division, CRZ areas (Digha, Sagar, Bakkhali etc.), Forest areas and in different heritage and tourist site.
(c) Action has been initiated for public awareness (trainings, workshops) for plastic waste management such as proper disposal of plastic bottles, banning of plastic carry bags, use of cloth/jute bags etc.
(d) Coloured Plastic carry bags have been banned in Himachal
Pradesh. Use of plastic carry begs have been banned in some districts in Mizoram /West Bengal
(e) Jammu and Kashmir has also banned polythene carry bags under Non Bio- Degradable Material (Management, Handling and Disposal) Act, 2007 with effect from 11.5.2009.
(f) Government of Himachal Pradesh has taken a cabinet decision for complete bad of plastics in Himachal Pradesh under the HP Non-Biodegradable Garbage Control Act, 1995 effective from 15th August 2009.
SC not to lift ban on use of plastic bags
The Supreme Court on January 29, 2010 refused to lift the ban on the use on plastic and
polythene bags. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today declined the plea of the All
India Plastic Manufacturers Association for staying the operation of Delhi High Court judgement which had banned the use of polythene bags in the national capital. Earlier,
counsel for the petitioner submitted before the court that the use of polythene bags do not cause environmental pollution. Also the livelihood of the people
working in the plastic industry was at stake. The apex court was,
however, not impressed by the contention of the
petitioner
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An Example of Strict plastic ban in Assam
Dibrugrah, March 06, 2008: Use of non-degradable plastic as the carry bags has been banned from time to time by the
Dibrugrah (Assam) district administration. But since not much was done to ensure people did not use polythene, the “ban” would invariably die a natural death.
This time, the Dibrugarh Municipal Board has decided to take things into its hands and do everything it takes to banish
polythene from the town.
As a first step, the civic body will deploy 20 homeguards to
keep an eye on shopkeepers and businessmen who have not been heeding the ban on the use of polythene carry bags. And the penalty is not on the
shopkeepers alone.If the neighbourhood grocer packs the month’s stock into a polythene bag and the customer only “innocently” carries it home, chances are both the customer and the grocer will be
penalised.
“We have been forced to take such stringent steps, as it seems that a section of these unscrupulous
businessmen have taken the appeals issued by the municipal board as just a formality. We will impose heavy penalty on all those who are still using polythene carry bags,” said Bitul Talukdar, the vice-chairman of the civic body.
Plastic, being non bio-degradable, is a major source of environmental pollution. Besides, they clog the drains causing artificial floods during the monsoon season.
Plastic ban in Delhi
The health department of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), in a bid to stop the usage of plastic, has been going on a 'Say no to Plastic Bags' drive and seized a large chunk of such bags from
shopkeepers.The civic agency has also issued circulars to restaurants and other places, forbidding the use of plastic bags.
A Delhi city court took serious note of the environmental hazards posed by plastic bags and slapped footwear major Bata Shoe Stores with a fine of
Rs 1 lakh for using plastic bags on April 2010 In his order, Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Shailender Malik, directed the Delhi
Pollution Control Committee to utilise the penalty money to distribute
biodegradable bags among small shopkeepers to create awareness about eco-friendly steps. The court also directed the store manager Mahmud Hasan to be
present in court till its rising for the day.
Plastic carry bag to be banned in Rajasthan from Aug 1, 2010
Plastic carry bag would be banned in Rajasthan from August 1, 2010 next to protect the
environment, the government said today. After imposition of the ban on manufacturing, storage, export,
sell and transportation of plastic carry bags, the state government wants to declare the Rajasthan as "plastic carry bag free zone", an
official notification said. Collectors in 33 districts and the Rajasthan
State Pollution Control Board have been given powers to lodge cases of
violation under section 19 of Environment Protection Act, 1986. Guilty
would be punished with up to a fine of Rs.one lakh and/or five years in
jail for breach of the ban. The state plastic manufacturers' had demanded the ban be restricted to only carry bag and not all plastic products.
Innovation in Recycling Technology
Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has been awarded the ‘Plasticon 2005 Award' on 1st October 2005 in Mumbai by the PlastIndia Foundation in the category of ‘Innovation in Recycling Technology'
for its innovation of a ‘Polyloom' . The polyloom is a plastic weaving handloom that helps reuse and recycling of discarded plastic bags
(polybags).
The concept of ‘polyloom' has been popularized by
CEE's Waste Management Initiative as part of its mandate to address the reuse and recycling of dry
waste from domestic garbage. Under this initiative, CEE has established an ‘Ecofriendly Reuse and Recycling Unit' (CEE-ERU) especially for recycling of paper scraps and plastic carry bags.
In this unit, paper scrap is recycled by the hand-made paper making method while polybags are reused through the polybags weaving method.
The plastic weaving concept is based on the fact that plastic bags which are thin and flimsy (be it 20µ or less) have an average life time of 2 to 3 hours after which they are discarded. They end up in gutters,
dumpsites or on mountain sides and even in the stomachs of animals; they are responsible for clogging, choking, flooding,
asphyxiation, landslides, death and destruction. Instead, if they are collected, even from roads, they can be washed, cleaned, dried, cut into
strips and woven into the basic plastic textile fabric, which can then be stitched into various products like mats, folders, hand bags and purses. In this manner, both the plastic and paper waste becomes more manageable and less destructive.
The first CEE-ERU was first established in Coorg, Karnataka and subsequently, through various CEE offices, it has also been established in
Ahmedabad, Coimbatore , Delhi , Goa , Patna and Tirupathi. Today, the concept has been taken up by many women's self-help groups who gather raw
material either by door to door collection or by buying it from rag pickers. This provides them livelihood while taking the plastic carry bags away from the environment.
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Supreme Court seeks govt reply on gutkha packet ban
On Monday, August 2, 2010, Seeking to know whether a fine should be imposed on paan masala or
gutkha packet manufacturers for polluting and choking the drainage systems, the Supreme Court has directed the Union government to file its
reply in six weeks.
A bench of justices GS Singhvi and BS Chauhan said the matter would be
heard after 10 weeks. Concerned about the health of bronchitis patients, NGO Indian Asthma
Care Society had moved the Rajasthan high court pleading that gutkha,
paan masala and tobacco product manufacturers be subjected to ?polluter pays principle? for harming people?s health.
The NGO said the manufacturers were responsible for harming the
environment as well and should be made to compensate the victims of pollution. At the same time they should be asked to repair the
environmental degradation, it said. In a significant judgment, a bench of justices Shiv Kumar Sharma and
Guman Singh of the Rajasthan high court passed a slew of directions as
it examined the toxic effects of plastic on environment and human health."Undoubtedly plastic plays the villain right from its production stage.
The major chemicals that go into the making of plastic are highly toxic
and pose serious threat to living beings of all species on earth," the bench said.
Plastic bag regulation
in China
The final version of a regulation on the compulsory sale of plastic shopping bags at retail outlets was released in Beijing on
May 20, 2008. The Commerce Ministry, National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce
jointly released the regulation.
From June 1, retailers could be fined up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for providing free plastic bags to shoppers.
Under the new law, retailers will be free to set their own prices for the bags, as long as they are above the cost price. The plastic bags must also meet national quality standards.
Also, markets face fines of up to 20,000 yuan if they fail to buy bags from legally incorporated producers, wholesalers or importers, or if they fail to obtain related certificates and record relevant data.
It will not apply to plastic packaging for raw, prepackaged and cooked food. |
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