Day 24: In My Opinion, We Need A Good Reform More Than A Stringent Ban On Plastic
The Maharastra government banned the use of plastic and swore to slap a fine worth Rs 5000 on anyone who is seen indulging in this practice. But this ephemeral plastic product isnt just the bag or bottle it also is the packaging. This plastic will either end up in an animals stomach choke them to death or go to the landfills.
I woke up to a bright and sunny day yesterday along with the entire nation discussing the state-wide ban on plastic. Even though the ban comes as a means to stop the excessive use of plastic that's killing our planet, it also comes with a lot of ambiguity.
#maharashtraplasticban There is a lot of confusion and ambiguity. The government should issue proper advisory and spread it widely to create awareness and clear the confusions.
¡ª Rashmi_* (@rashmi__SS) June 23, 2018
Everyone who wants to understand how and when they can stop using plastic first needs to understand what plastic is most harmful to them. The plastic in tiffin boxes coming from a renowned company that claims to be eco-friendly are safe, yes they are. They are used for years and when discarded, can be easily recycled. The same goes for hard, long-term plastic that goes into making many household products like a water purifier, your refrigerator and more.
The most lethal form of plastic is the one that doesn't reach these recycling hubs and ends up in landfills. which is bottles, bags, polyethenes, straws etc. To cut it short, it's the single-use plastic.
So, when the Maharastra government banned the use of plastic and swore to slap a fine worth Rs 5,000 on anyone who is seen indulging in this practice, they intended to slack the single-use plastic. But this ephemeral plastic product isn't just the bag or bottle, it also is the packaging that many of them are forgetting to address.
As discussed in earlier posts, the plastic bubble wrap that protects your online order, the pizza saver that saves your pizza from messing, the plastic packages of chips and other condiments that we buy and throw away right after consuming them is what the most lethal form of plastic is.
We all see bags of chips, bottles of soft drinks and 10,000 types of other plastic packagings that lay on the streets and in the bin. These packages are only used one time as consumers consume the product and throw it away. Now, this plastic will either end up in an animal's stomach, choke them to death or go to the landfills where they will be burnt and pollute the environment or be dumped where they won't decompose for 800-1000 years. Either way, they will stick around and come back to kill us.
#MaharashtraPlasticBan
¡ª Suchitra (@Suchitra_Neel) June 23, 2018
A trader in Solapur (MH) fined of 5000/- Rs for using plastic bag after ban. pic.twitter.com/RkwXkQ8Ho7
Now what we need is a reform, a practice and a system that first educates people on plastic and not just shoots in the blind talking about its ill effects. Secondly, we need a policy for organizations and companies because they are the ones producing it. A lot of brands of late have gone eco-friendly, quite proudly and that's the spirit we need in the system. If you can't replace it, stop producing it - it is that simple.
In my opinion, here is what government can do
1. Ask people to collect their plastic waste and submit it somewhere from where it can be upcycled easily.
2. Urge organizations to come up with a plan where if plastic bags are return, customers get some sort of reward.
3. Urge organizations to go eco-friendly and only use things that aren't bad for the environment.
4. Bring in motion a plastic tax for organizations.
