For a plastic-free Bengaluru
We are in a plastic age. From a tiny spoon to lunch boxes, plates,bowls, laptops, vehicles aircraft and our ever extendable smile —everything is plastic. It is such a wonderful material. It is longlasting, waterproof, elastic but strong, and can be shaped into anyform. In fact plastic would easily qualify as the most popularmaterial in our country after gold.Plastic is also the most abused material. As carry bags, it has becomea disgrace to our cities. In my childhood days, a strong breeze wouldthrow dried leaves or flowers at one's face, but now one has tocontend with carry bags floating all around. No road is complete,which is not littered with plastic carry bags and bottles. We have notspared our waterbodies — they have turned into plastic bins.Plastics, plastics and more plastics everywhere. They don't degradeeasily and so remain as an eyesore. They can remain withoutdegradation for hundreds of years. Burning them will only add to themisery of air pollution, as they are known to emit suspected cancercausing compounds. Some of these compounds are known to migrate intohot liquids such as the Sambhar that we don't mind relishing evenfully knowing that it was packed in a plastic carry bag.Segregation of the wet (kitchen waste) and dry waste (plastic, paper,metal and glass) is mandatory under the Solid Waste Management rules.But who cares. Even the BBMP is clueless as to how to deal withplastics. The Swaccha Bengaluru scheme that was launched a few yearsago had a premature death. Most of the garbage collected in the cityis now dumped along the highways that go outside the city. Companiesthat adopt extended producer responsibility in the west do not emulatethe practice here when they sell their product. These companies do notfeel morally obliged to take back the associated packaging material orprovide us packaging material that is eco-friendly. It only takes a NOto make Bengaluru a plastic free city. The next time you go to agrocery shop or a mall, say NO to plastic carry bags
Friday, June 27, 2008
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