Address plastic ban shortcomings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call, made in his recent Mann ki Baat programme, for a revolution against plastic from October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, builds on his continuing campaign for a plastic-free India. In his Independence Day address, he had promised to put an end to the use of single-use plastic, and a year ago, he had set a deadline of 2020 for it. He has called for popular participation, which only can create and sustain a revolution, with technologies being adopted to replace plastic, customers rejecting it and shopkeepers selling non-plastic bags. It is a socially, economically and environmentally significant initiative and the special interest taken by the prime minister is certain to give it momentum. It is also reassuring to see him explaining the dangers of modern plastic rather than the wonders of ancient plastic surgery.

But the challenges are many and huge. India consumes about 17 million tonnes of plastic annually, of which 43% is single-use material that is discarded. Plastic and other wastes are even dumped into the country from developed countries. The pollution threat from such waste to land and to water bodies like rivers, lakes and the seas is very high. It is not just a threat, the impact of plastic pollution is already being seen and felt. Much of the plastic is not managed and recycled. The best way to avoid plastic pollution, therefore, is not to use it. But it has become a major necessity and is part of the lives of people and is a big business. Manufacturers, marketers, importers and retailers are all in it in various ways, and they, along with municipal and pollution control authorities, are all responsible for the mismanagement of waste and violation of rules. Commerce, offline and online, is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, and with that, the plastic waste mountain will also grow. Only a revolution can keep a check on it and reduce the use of plastic. Most states have totally or partially banned its use, but the bans have not been implemented effectively. Plastic is relatively cheap and available in plenty. It is important to make replacements for single-use plastic articles, especially plastic bags, available to the users at affordable cost. Cloth, jute and paper bags, disposable plates and materials made of soft or processed wood are on the radar but each of them has some problem or the other. These need to be addressed and solutions found. Maharashtra had to relax its ban on single-use plastic because of lack of preparation to enforce it. The countywide programme deserves to be implemented better.