Plastic gets some spirited defenders

Once the proposed ban on the plastic bags in Maharashtra comes into force, the Rs 500 crore export business of plastic bags may find it tough to remain afloat.

The fact surfaced in an interactive session organised by the Indian Center for Plastics in the Environment (ICPE) today which discussed the pros and cons of the state government's draft order on discontinuation of plastic bags.

After the July 26 floods in the city, the government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has put the blame on the plastic bags choking the city drains. However, the representatives of All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) and ICPE looked unsatisfied with the reasons provided for banning the plastic bags.

Rather they asked for implementation of proper waste management system in the city. Had the waste been properly handled, there would have been no choking of the drains. "The decision of banning the plastic bags is not the solution. People should be properly told to have a proper disposal system," said Sujit Banerji of ICPE.

"Widespread use of plastic bags is because of its user-friendliness. At the same time its manufacturing requires least amount of resources and less energy," said P P Kharas of ICPE and MD, Ecoplast Ltd.

Ashok Misra, director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, said that there is no point in carrying a thicker material when we are provided with a thinner and lighter one.

"I am not convinced that the reason behind banning the plastic is fair enough," he said. "Why are we allowing people to throw the bags, when it can be recycled?" Misra asks.

Asking what will happen if the ban comes into force, Vijay Merchant of ICPE, said, "We are in talks with the government and BMC and I hope we will get some positive feedback."

As the use of plastic bag is necessary in case of garbage packing, the banning may not be a fruitful thing. " Everybody, right from the household level has to take the responsibility of disposing the used plastic bags properly so that it can be recycled," said Kharas.

As far as the norm of 20-25 micron plastic bags is concerned, "We are asking the government to make it mandatory for all the manufacturers to print their names as well as the thickness of the bags. This will reduce the chances of production of plastics less than 20 microns. If any manufacturer does not print, actions can be taken against them," added Kharas.

"We are in talks with the BMC in order to increase the number of wards in Mumbai where proper disposal can be brought into force which will help in improvising the recycling industry of plastic bags," said Vijay Merchant.

Plastic bags are supportive to commodity transaction, which is more cost effective than other packaging meterials, said Ashok Misra, director, IIT Mumbai.

By using the potential of the recycling technology, authorities can sort out the problems persisting now, Misra said.

"Packaging is one of the biggest problem of the present day society. So the markets can't survive without plastic. Paper and glass are poor packaging substitutes. Again, plastic is more energy saving than paper and glass at the production stage which has been proven by the scientists. Plastic provides assistance to environment-friendly packaging. In place of 30 gm of paper, just five gm of plastic is needed," added Misra.

"Chance for breakage is less for a plastic bag as it is light and strong. The users should wash and reuse these bags than throwing it away after a single use. And it is the government's duty to develop civic sense in the people and regulate its use," he said.

Blanket ban is not the solution for solving all the problems. Plastic play an important role in the packaging of milk, bread, oil and salt. Wet food products like fish, meat and poultry items need transparent and water proof packaging materials. Through proper waste management system problems created by plastic can be solved, Misra pointed out.