Plastic crisis

PLASTICS can take hundreds of years to decompose, leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater when disposed of in landfills, and disrupt marine habitats. The single-use plastic bag epitomises a throwaway culture that continues to wreak environmental havoc. More than 70 countries, according to a United Nations paper, have adopted a full or partial ban on single-use plastic items. Many other nations have imposed a charge or tax on it. An expert’s take on the ineffectiveness of the ban in India is a call to rethink strategy. Centre for Science and Environment director Sunita Narain says the ban has to be enforceable to begin with, laying emphasis on understanding where and why plastic is not getting recycled.

The world over, only 10 per cent of plastic is being recycled. The industry and the consumer have been disappointingly slow in exploring reusable options. Policy advisers say it is essential that waste procedures continue to transition away from a single-use model. As Narain points to the benefits of integrating the informal sector into the waste management systems, there is much appreciation for the waste-pickers. But for their efforts to collect every piece of recyclable plastic, she says, India would be drowned in waste. A push to the household-level wet and dry waste segregation, a key ranking parameter of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, is advocated as the way forward.

There’s no definitive answer to what’s the greenest replacement for a single-use plastic bag. Alternatives have to be real, sustainable solutions. For a start, reuse whatever bags you have, as many times as you can. Be an active participant in a community-based approach that rewards reduction of waste. Promote composting of kitchen waste. Take that small step but stick to it, marking your rejection of an unsustainable way of living. Others will follow.