Is plastic bag is a source of our urban

environmental pollution what is the solution?

Dr.Kedar Karki

Introduction:

"Plastics" derived their name from their properties to be molded, cast,

extruded or processed into a variety of forms, including solid objects, films and
filaments. These properties arise from their molecular structure. Plastics are
polymers, very long chain molecules that consist of subunits (monomers) linked
together by chemical bonds. The monomers of petrochemical plastics are
inorganic materials (such as styrene) and are not biodegradable. Plastics are
synthetic substances produced by chemical reactions. Almost all plastics are
made from petroleum, except a few experimental resins derived from corn and
other organic substances. Plastic has many properties which has made it a raw
material of choice for Manufactures of plastic Bags and packing materials. Cost
of production, light weight, strength, easy process of manufacture, and
availability are few of the properties. There is nothing wrong with plastic as a
material. Man has simply not put the plastic to the right use/ or using it
without taking proper care of other related norms of usage.

Plastic as Packing Material:

Plastic has replaced the traditional material (paper/cloth etc) as packing and
carry bags because of cost and convenience which is possibly a wrong choice of
material for such use. Even though plastic bags can preserve food and can be
used for growing vegetables in a controlled environment, their method of
disposal has creates unprecedented pollution problem. Plastic has many more
uses other than Plastic Bags and Packing material. It is used for manufacturing
of protective covers and parts for many machines, which is considered as the
preferred utility for plastic.

The Global Dimension:

More than a 100 million tones of plastic is produced world-wide each year.
Though plastics have opened the way for a plethora of new inventions and
devices it has also ended up clogging the drains and becoming a health hazard.
Many countries, including India, are trying to increase the amount of plastic
that is recycled. But commercial interests create hindrance for effective
legislation to remove plastics from goods where they can threaten public
health. Also there is a clear trend of shipping off the plastic waste of
developed countries to under developed and developing countries.

Shopping Culture in Earlier Days:

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Before the advent of poly-bags, people did shop, buy things, bring eatables
from the market, and did the same marketing as is done now. How did they do
it? The raw material for the bag was decided by its usage. Cloth bags for lighter
items, Gunny bags/Jute bags for voluminous and heavier goods. The cost did
not justify use and discard attitude. These bags were washable and reusable
lasting for six months to a year.

Plastic and its Environmental Hazards:

The hazards plastics pose are numerous. The land gets littered by plastic bag
garbage presenting an ugly and unhygienic seen. The "Throw away culture"
results in these bags finding their way in to the city drainage system, the
resulting blockage cases inconvenience, difficult in maintaining the drainage
with increased cost, creates unhygienic environment resulting in health hazard
and spreading of water borne diseases. This littering also reduces rate of rain
water percolating, resulting in lowering of already low water levels in our
cities. The soil fertility deteriorates as the plastic bags form part of manure
remains in the soil for years. It has been observed that the animals eating the
bags sometimes die. Plastic goes into the ocean which is already a plastic
infested body of water. Fish and other marine species in the water ways,
misunderstanding plastic garbage as food items swallow them and die.

Should use of Plastic be totally banned?

Many household utility items like needle, scissors, and blades can heart if not
handled properly. Children need to be trained in their proper handling. These
utility items are not banned. But because of throw away culture and no
objection from passer by, the advice on sensible disposal of plastic bags are not
heeded by general public forcing the government to consider banning of plastic
bags all together. "Should plastic carry bags and bottles be banned in totality?"
- is a heated issue today. Its world annual average consumption is an alarming
18 kg. But too many do it as our cities as it have huge population. The country
yet to take a serious view of the issue and have a uniform nation-wide law for
indiscreet disposals of plastic bags. People should be educated on the proper
ways of plastic bag usage and the disposal. The teaching should start right from
the primary schools. Plastic is an eco-friendly material. The real problem is
littering, some claim. But there is hardly anybody who agrees with such
viewpoint. Thinking rationally, the whole idea of educating people about
plastic bags, although very ambitious, and it is as difficult as banning smoking
The conventional older and tested alternatives offers an easy, if not fully
equitable and practical solution. And all the hype that poly-bags pollute is not
totally false. It is not that poly-bags are responsible for the ills, of course not,
it is the humans. It is ignorance (or who cares attitude). We have not banned
sewing needles they pierce through the skin. It's a stupid idea. Whether it is
the common citizen, the government official or the hard-hit plastic bag

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manufacturer, all of them agree on one point - firm steps are required to be
taken against littering of plastic bags and bottles all around.

Future Alternative – Eco-Friendly Plastics:

However newer technology is also being developed in this regard. This entails
the use of DEGRADABLE PLASTICS. The principal is to incorporate into the
plastic some chemical that is photodegradable/biodegradable or chemically
treatable. By adding starch, biodegradable plastics are generally made. On
burial such plastics are attacked by bacteria feeding on starch, which breaks
these down into tiny particles that disappear harmlessly into the soil. Some
common examples of biodegradable plastics are the use of "non-removable"
suture materials in surgery or capsules for drugs, which dissolve slowly in body
fluids. Chemically degradable plastics can be broken up by spraying them with
a solution that causes them to dissolve. For example such material can be used
as a protective wax covering for new cars that wash off at the dealer's garage
by a specially formulated spray. This spray reacts with one of the components
of the plastic and causes it to dissolve into harmless materials which can be
flushed down the drain. Photo-degradable plastics contain chemicals that
slowly disintegrate when exposed to light. In France, strips of photo-
degradable plastic about 3 ft (1mtr) wide are used to retain heat in the soil and
produce early crops. They last for about 1 to 3 years before rotting into the
soil. But they have to be used in places with consistent amount of sunshine so
that they decay at a predictable rate. In the USA, about one quarter of the
plastic yokes that link beer cans in a six pack are made of plastic called
Ecolyte, which is photo-degradable. But to stop them decaying too early, they
must be stored away from direct sunlight, which can be of some inconvenience
to the retailer. However degradable plastic can have a few other problems.
For example, it cannot be recycled because there is no easy way to measure its
remaining life span. The biggest drawback is the cost of its production.
Japanese scientists however claim that they will soon be able to produce much
cheaper multipurpose biodegradable plastic. In order to obviate the disposal
problems and to prevent Environmental pollution caused by routinely used
polythene packaging materials; it would be prudent, for the present, to use
eco-friendly paper packaging. The manufacturers of plastic packaging like soft
drink bottles/mineral water bottles etc must come forward and develop
appropriate methods of disposal/own responsibility for disposal. Plastic bags
are so light and strong that they can carry normal weight, cheap and is used in
all types of shops in our daily life. For example: bakeries, medical shops,
grocery stores, hotels, etc. People are so accustomed to it, that they find it
very difficult to part with it. Plastic bags have made it possible for people to go
without bags to market or work place as these bags are availably for asking and
can be thrown without a second thought. People who go on picnics, visiting
historic places, hill stations etc., to enjoy their holidays or just for a change
carry with them eatables in containers, plastic bags, mineral water bottles
(plastic), plastic plates and plastic cups and generally leave it in the open air

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after consuming the contents. One can find this in tourist centers scattered all
over. Road-side vendors also use plastic cups to serve coffee or tea. The
customers throw these cups on foot paths or near drains after consuming the
contents. These plastic materials are so light that they are carried away by the
speed of the moving vehicle, wind etc., scattered all over, making the
surroundings look ugly. There are instances wherein these materials have
clogged the underground drains. People are in the habit of throwing things they
don't need wherever they like irrespective of the final result. People should be
specially educated regarding the use of plastic in our daily life, as it is
environment unfriendly. Boys and girls, men and women with bags on their
backs and a stick in one hand walking long distances, picking up plastic waste,
paper, bottles etc., from dust bins, road sides, is a common sight in our cities.
These rag pickers sell the waste collected, to the collection centre to earn
their livelihood. These materials are recycled. The waste materials collected
are of all types including plastic materials, such as plastic bags, plastic cups,
plastic bottles etc. Instead of carrying these wastes away, they are burnt on
the road side polluting the area with thick smoke which produce toxic gases
(because of burning of plastic material) posing a health hazard. Inhaling of such
gases causes lung diseases and even cancer. They resort to burning of waste
material with the main intention of reducing the number of trips a lorry has to
take. Plastic being non-degradable, when buried under the ground, arrest the
percolation of water into the ground. Animals grazing in the field consuming
this plastic waste along with grass cannot be ruled out. Now-a-days, in almost
all functions, it has become a practice to use thin plastic sheets to cover the
dining tables to give it a good look and also so that it is easy to clean the table,
as left over can be removed by rolling the sheet at a stretch. These are thrown
near the dust bin. Besides this, thin plastic cups are also used for drinking
water, which also finds a place in the dust bin. One can find near the dust bin,
waiting slum children, crows, stray cows, dogs to share the leftovers. In this
process, they fight amongst themselves and stray cows in majority of cases
have consumed thin plastic sheets along with left over, leading to untold
sufferings and also found dead on many occasions. It is therefore, suggested
that a ban be placed on the use of plastic sheets, plastic cups, along with
plastic bags. Plastic industries manufacturing plastic bags (below 20 microns)
thin sheets, thin cups and thin bottles, should be informed about its ill-effects
on the environment and advised not to manufacture such items. If the industry
is located in a residential area, action should be taken to shift it immediately.
The factory management should take all measures to control the pollution
created, within the stipulated norms.

The Solution.

The solution lies in finding out:

1. Alternative suitable for making Bags and packing material at competitive

rate and convenience without having any negative aspect.

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2. Reaserch&Develpoment to make plastic more environments friendly.

3. Educate users to the right disposal methods.

4. Reduce the no of users by reducing the population in the long run.

5. Process vegetable, etc to higher density so as to reduce the no of bags

required to pack and carry.

6. Encourage reusable bags from traditional materials by suitable

advertisements to make it fashionable.

7. Cost of mfg bags with traditional material can be subsidized by printing

advertisement on the bags.