Experts advise people not to buy plastic flags on I-Day to prevent environmental degradation

Experts have advised people not to buy paper or single-use plastic flags on Independence Day as they will adversely affect the environment.

The flag sellers and vendors laminate the tricolour with plastic coating to protect it against tear and rains, which makes these flags difficult to recycle, two experts said in a joint statement.

On the 72nd Independence Day, Indian citizens should favour eco-friendly options, instead of buying paper or single-use plastics flags, they said.

"While recycling paper utilises lesser energy then manufacturing virgin paper, but compared to other alternatives, it is expensive and not energy efficient. The process of recycling paper like colour and print paper involves lot of alkali and bleaching process and consumes energy," said Arun Sawant, Director - India, Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council.

R N Jagtap, Head, Department of Polymer and Surface Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, said approximately, 93 per cent of paper comes from chopping down trees and an average of 5 litres of water is required to produce one piece of A4 paper.

"This plays a huge role in leading to deforestation and water crisis/toxicity. Paper is viewed very discreetly about its environmental impact. The universally negative sentiment against plastic has led us to believe that paper is eco-friendly. While paper is biodegradable and recyclable, it requires far more energy to manufacture and transport than plastic. Paper also has very limited re-use potential and produces methane if dumped in landfill," he said.