Many household utility items like needle, scissors, 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 advise 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. Average Indian uses one kilogram (kg) of plastics per year, the world annual average is a alarming 18 kg. But too many do it as our cities 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 manufacturer, all of them agree on one point - firm steps are required to be taken against littering of plastic bags and bottles all around. REASON Paper or plastic bags: which is better? Its an age old question, when it comes time to check out when grocery shopping: paper bag or plastic bag? It seems like it should be an easy choice, but theres an incredible number of details and inputs hidden in each bag. From durability and reusability to life cycle costs, theres a lot more to each bag than meet the eye. Lets take a look behind the bags. Where do brown paper bags come from?

Paper comes from trees lots and lots of trees. The logging industry, influenced by companies like Weyerhaeuser and Kimberly-Clark, is huge, and the process to get that paper bag to the grocery store is long, sordid and exacts a heavy toll on the planet. First, the trees are found, marked and felled in a process that all too often involves clear-cutting, resulting in massive habitat destruction and long-term ecological damage. Mega-machinery comes in to remove the logs from what used to be forest, either by logging trucks or even helicopters in more remote areas. This machinery requires fossil fuel to operate and roads to drive on, and, when done unsustainably, logging even a small area has a large impact on the entire ecological chain in surrounding areas. Once the trees are collected, they must dry at least three years before they can be used. More machinery is used to strip the bark, which is then chipped into one-inch squares and cooked under tremendous heat and pressure. This wood stew is then digested, with a chemical mixture of limestone and acid, and after several hours of cooking, what was once wood becomes pulp. It takes approximately three tons of wood chips to make one ton of pulp. The pulp is then washed and bleached; both stages require thousands of gallons of clean water. Coloring is added to more water, and is then combined in a ratio of 1 part pulp to 400 parts water, to make paper. The pulp/water mixture is dumped into a web of bronze wires, and the water showers through, leaving the pulp, which, in turn, is rolled into paper. Whew! And thats just to make the paper; dont forget about the energy inputs chemical, electrical, and fossil fuel-based used to transport the raw material, turn the paper into a bag and then transport the finished paper bag all over the world. Where do paper shopping bags go when youre done with them? When youre done using paper shopping bags, for shopping or other household reuses, a couple of things can happen. If minimally-inked (or printed with soy or other veggie-based inks) they can be composted; otherwise, they can be recycled in most mixed-paper recycling schemes, or they can be thrown away (which is not something we recommend). If you compost them, the bags break down and go from paper to a rich soil nutrient over a period of a couple of months; if you throw them away, theyll eventually break down of the period of many, many years (and without the handy benefits that compost can provide). If you choose to recycle paper bags, then things get a little tricky.

The paper must first be re-pulped, which usually requires a chemical process involving compounds like hydrogen peroxide, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide, which bleach and separate the pulp fibers. The fibers are then cleaned and screened to be sure theyre free of anything that would contaminate the paper-making process, and are then washed to remove any leftover ink before being pressed and rolled into paper, as before.

How are plastic bags made? Unlike paper bags, plastic bags are typically made from oil, a non-renewable resource. Plastics are a by-product of the oil-refining process, accounting for about four percent of oil production around the globe. The biggest energy input is from the plastic bag creation process is electricity, which, in this country, comes from coal-burning power plants at least half of the time; the process requires enough juice to heat the oil up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit, where it can be separated into its various components and molded into polymers. Plastic bags most often come from one of the five types of polymers polyethylene in its low-density form (LDPE), which is also known as #4 plastic. How does plastic bag recycling work? Like paper, plastic can be recycled, but it isnt simple or easy. Recycling involves essentially re melting the bags and re-casting the plastic, though, according to the U.S. EPA, manufacturing new plastic from recycled plastic requires two-thirds of the energy used in virgin plastic manufacturing. But, as any chef who has ever tried to re-heat a Hollondaise sauce will tell you, the quality isnt quite as good the second time around; the polymer chains often separate break (thanks to reader MaryBeth for noting the difference between separate and break the former implies that the chains can come back together, which they cant), leading to a lower quality product. What does that mean to you? Basically, plastic is often downcycled that is, the material loses viability and/or value in the process of recycling into less functional forms, making it hard to make new plastic bags out of old plastic bags. What about biodegradable plastic bags? Biodegradable plastic is a mixed bag (pun intended) as well; while biopolymers like polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and Polylactide (PLA) are completely biodegradable in compost

(and very, very, very slowly if at all in a landfill) and are not made from petroleum products, they are often derived from our food sources. The primary feedstock for bioplastics today is corn, which is rife with agro-political conflict and often grown and harvested unsustainably; because of these reasons, and because it competes with food supply, it is not likely to be a long-term solution in the plastics world. Plus, some bags marked biodegradable are not actually so theyre recycled plastic mixed with cornstarch. The cornstarch biodegrades and the plastic breaks down into tiny little pieces but does not actually biodegrade, leaving a yucky polymer mess (if in small pieces). The only way to avoid this? Look for 100 percent plant-based polymers, like the two mentioned above. So, while its good to have the alternative (and to recognize the innovation it represents), bioplastics arent quite ready to save us from the paper or plastic debate.

Paper or plastic: A look at the facts and numbers Further insight into the implications of using and recycling each kind of bag can be gained from looking at overall energy, emissions, and other life cycle-related costs of production and recycling. According to a life cycle analysis by Franklin Associates, Ltd, [pdf] plastic bags create fewer airborne emissions and require less energy during the life cycle of both types of bags per 10,000 equivalent uses plastic creates 9.1 cubic pounds of solid waste vs. 45.8 cubic pounds for paper; plastic creates 17.9 pounds of atmospheric emissions vs. 64.2 pounds for paper; plastic creates 1.8 pounds of waterborne waste vs. 31.2 pounds for paper. Paper bags can hold more stuff per bag anywhere from 50 percent to 400 percent more, depending on how theyre packed, since they hold more volume and are sturdier. The numbers here assume that each paper bag holds 50 percent more than each plastic bag, meaning that it takes one and half plastic bags to equal a paper bag its not a one-to-one comparison, even though plastic still comes out ahead. Its important to note that all of the above numbers assume that none of the bags are recycled, which adds a lot of negative impacts for both the paper and plastic bags; the numbers decrease in size (and the relative impacts decrease) as more bags are recycled. Interestingly, the numbers for paper bag recycling get better faster the more that are recycled, the lower their overall

environmental impact but, because plastic bags use much less to begin with, they still ends up creating less solid and waterborne waste and airborne emissions. Paper and plastic bags required energy inputs From the same analysis, we learn that plastic also has lower energy requirements these numbers are expressed in millions of British thermal units (Btus) per 10,000 bags, again at 1.5 plastic bags for every one paper bag. Plastic bags require 9.7 million Btus, vs. 16.3 for paper bags at zero percent recycling; even at 100 percent recycling rates, plastic bags still require less 7.0 to papers 9.1. What does that mean to me and you? Plastic bags just take less energy to create, which is significant because so much of our energy comes from dirty sources like coal and petroleum. The best way to go? A reusable bag, not a plastic bag. Anya Hindmarchs wildly popular I am Not a Plastic Bag tote is helping give the reusable bag some sex appeal. Paper bags or plastic bags: the conclusion Both paper and plastic bags require lots and lots of resources and energy, and proper recycling requires due diligence from both consumer and municipal waste collector or private recycling company, so there are a lot of variables that can lead to low recycling rates. Ultimately, neither paper nor plastic bags are the best choice; we think choosing reusable canvas bags instead is the way to go. From an energy standpoint, according to this Australian study, canvas bags are 14 times better than plastic bags and 39 times better than paper bags, assuming that canvas bags get a good workout and are used 500 times during their life cycle. Happy shopping!

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Andy vs. The Plastic Goliath

Big Plastic is trying to silence Andy Keller, aka The Bag Monster, via an intimidating lawsuit. In a bullying move that demonstrates just how devoid of morals and ethics most plastic bag manufacturers may be, Hilex Poly Co., Superbag Operating and Advance Polybag have sued ChicoBag on the grounds that the reusable bag manufacturer has irreparably harmed their businesses. If you dont know, ChicoBag is a small Northern California-based business that makes cool reusable bags that fold up into tiny, highly portable pouches. You probably have seen them at the checkout stand at select grocery stores and other retailers. The head of ChicoBag is a young entrepreneur named Andy Keller who is absolutely passionate about the environments need for us to break our addiction to single-use plastic packaging. As a result, Andy created ChicoBag and the bag monster, a costume made of 500 plastic bags (about the average number of bags used annually per person in the U.S). The bag monster has been a huge hit in schools, rallies, council chambers, and press events in getting the point across about plastic pollution.

Companies Making Tough Choices Meanwhile, some eco-friendly companiessuch as Torontos Mountain Equipment Co-opare voluntarily exploring ethical alternatives to plastic bags, turning to biodegradable bags made from corn. The corn-based bags cost several times more than plastic bags, but are produced using much less energy and will break down in landfills or composters in four to 12 weeks. As more and more cities and commercial establishments shun plastic bags, the plastic industry launched an offensive against its alternatives: the brown bags and newspapers.

Crispian Lao, the spokesman for the plastic industry, said on Sunday that wrapping products and foods in brown bags and recycled newspapers would be unsafe for consumers, a statement that environmental groups said was inaccurate. Lao said, We are raising this fact not to bring down paper but to point out the unintended and costly consequences of the plastic ban, which in most instances has denied the public a cheap food-grade wrapping material. He noted that brown paper and newspapers, aside from using waste paper that could have been picked up from anywhere, contain chemicals from production that could contaminate food. Laos statement came as local government units in Metro Manila have started to prohibit the use of plastic bags in wet markets and other commercial establishments to reduce the rubbish that clog up the streets and cause floods during rainy days. National agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have also called a ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam in packaging and handling items and food products. In the Senate, Sen. Miriam Santiago has filed a bill that aims to ban plastic bags regardless of their composition, either regular or degradable plastic bags while promoting the use of reusable bags. But Lao said plastic bags, which he called food-safe and considered kinder to the environment, should not be blamed for the citys trash problems. Local governments, he said, must instead enforce waste segregation. Banning plastic misses the problem completely. It is an egregious mismatch between problem and solution. Meanwhile, the Ecowaste Coalition scoffed at Laos arguments for plastic use, saying they were inaccurate. Paeng Lopez, a campaigner for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, said plastic bags have been more dangerous to the environment than paper. Plastic products are made from petroleum, a dwindling natural resource requiring carbonintensive extraction, transportation, and refining, according to Lopez. He said many plastic products were not food-grade and were made with hundreds of chemical compounds that the industry refused to divulge.

COST Plastic bags have advantages and disadvantages when compared to alternatives such as paper bags,cloth/jute bags and cardboard boxes. The durability, strength, low cost, water and chemicals resistance, welding properties, lesser energy and heavy chemicals requirements in manufacture, fewer atmosphere emmisions and light weight are advantages of plastic bags. Plastic polymers including poly bags, bottles, foam cups, pipes, toys, TV and PC cases and more, account for about 20 percent (by volume) of landfill space. However, non-biodegradable bags fill landfill sites and make for long-lasting litter, which in particular is dangerous to wildlife away from centers of human population, due mostly to virgin resin cheap price when compared to other flexible packagings and this low price tend to be under-enthusiastic to recyclers. Environmental hazard due to use of plastic bags and improper disposal is becoming a threat. The objective of this research was to analyze the factors responsible for using plastic bags by the consumers and identify the important psychological barriers to a more widespread adoption of ecological sustainable life styles. Seven Hundred consumers of Delhi and NCR region were identified based on convenient sample for the data collection covering all segments of society. Four independent factors were identified and labeled as Environmental Awareness, Active Participation, Health Hazards and Alternative Choice, from all segments together. The results reveal that mere knowledge does not help until measures are taken at policy level for its usage implementing strict measures to drive behavioral practices. 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 should be the preferred utility for plastic. REUSE

photodegradationbreaking down into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate both soil and water, and end up entering the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. used in the United States every year. Of those, approximately 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually. person), Japan consumes 300 billion bags each year (300 per person), and Australia consumes 6.9 billion plastic bags annually (326 per person).

year after eating discarded plastic bags they mistake for food. industry. People there collect the bags and use them to weave hats, bags and other goods. According to the BBC, one such group routinely collects 30,000 bags every month. According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone from being rare in the late 1980s and early 1990s to being almost everywhere in Antarctica. Impact: Paper. The recycling of paper is essential in cutting down on landfills: each day, enough paper is recycled to fill a fifteen-mile long train of boxcars. When this statistic was taken in 1993, only 40 percent of paper used was being recycled. That left a lot that was thrown into landfills. By the year 2000, it is estimated that 78 percent of all paper used in the United States will be recycled, as well as 15 percent of all paper overseas. Buying recycled paper is usually more expensive than buying virgin paper products, but the government, in an attempt to encourage recycling, presented purchasing mandates that can allow a 10 to 15 percent price premium so that it can compete with other cheaper paper products. Another factor to consider is water pollution. The making of paper, whether virgin or recycled, uses many thousands of gallons of clean water that can soon become polluted in the papermaking process. Virgin paper creates 35 percent more water pollution than recycled paper. Recycled paper also creates 74 percent less air pollution than virgin paper. However, both types of paper can contribute to contaminating area waters. Scientific evidence shows that fish can experience

adverse effects through chemicals that reside in sediment. It can more than three years for any level of toxicity to lower.

Impact: Plastic. Plastic impacts in two ways: First, it hits the environment in its use of electricity when being manufactured. More than half of the power needed to make plastic bags is generated by nuclear fission. While controversial, it is argued that nuclear power puts no direct harm or detriment into the environment. The only drawback to nuclear power is the radioactive waste, which is, so far, being safely diposed of in deep underground caves. And, in deep sea trenches where the nuclear waste is subducted into earths mantle and incinerated. Pertaining to the rest of the electricity needed to make plastic bags, coal fire does pollute. But, plastic can be burned. In fact, the burning of plastic will yield from 10,000 to 20,000 btu per pound, of which 60% can be recovered. As stated above, plastic is burned to create electriciy, hence, we could use plastic to make plastic, and reduce sulphur emissions from coal. There is the question, though, of recovery of energy by burning plastic. This, too, causes controversy but only because of mental block. If 93% of all oil is burned straight away, why can't the 4% used as plastic have a second life as energy? The burning of plastics isn't without its drawbacks. Inks and additives to some plastics can create dioxins, and emit heavy metals when burned. Also, after being burned, the toxic ash still needs to be disposed of in toxic wase dumps. Another problem with the incineration of plastic is the arguement that the energy produced by the process doesn't justify the misuse of a limited natural resource. The plastics already produced are better utilized by making new plastic materials by recycling. The second way plastic impacts is through landfills. Plastic will never break down; It will never disappear. Biodegradeable plastic is a misnomer because wood fiber has been mixed with the plastic so when buried, the wood dissolves leaving a million tiny pieces of plastic, instead of one bag. As stated, plastics make up 18% of waste by volume, and 7% by weight. If plastic were to be replaced in its uses by other materials, rubbish weight would increase by 150%, packaging would weigh 300% more, and energy consumed by the industry would increase by 100%. It has been found that the reduced weight of plastic has spillover benefits, elsewhere. Reduction of weight in aircraft saves an average of 10,000 gallons of fuel per plane, per annum, world over. In automobiles, it is directly responsible for doubling the fuel efficiency since the 1970's. Applied

to plastic bags, they reduce weight in landfills; They take up less space. This being in light of the discovery that most landfills are air tight, not allowing decomposition, leaving readable newspapers and chicken bones with meat still on them. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA Plastic goods after completion of their useful life find their way into waste. The phenomenal growth of plastics and their consumption in terms of products of short and intermediate life span have resulted in significant generation of waste. Separation of waste at home has been met with an enthusiastic response. Rolf Annenberg, former Director General of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA), once remarked that "people seem to be passionate about their waste". As pointed out by Jerry Powell, Editor of the Resource Recycling magazine (1994), "Plastics have become a major threat due to their non-biodegradability and high visibility in the waste stream. Their presence in the waste stream poses a serious problem when there is lack of efficient end of life management of plastic waste". Plastic waste has attracted widespread attention in India, particularly in the last five years, due to the widespread littering of plastics on the landscape of India. The environmental issues due to plastic waste arise predominately in a system. Problems have been identified in the collection, transportation and disposal, and these primarily arise due to the inefficiency of the municipalities and municipal corporations. The waste pickers constitute a formal system who values much plastic waste since it represents a source of livelihood. However, plastic carry bags do not figure in their priorities, because collecting them is not profitable. This is because the rewards do not match the efforts required for collection, and this leads to plastic bags continuing to pose a major threat to the environment. With the formal and informal sector failing to collect such waste, India's landscape is littered, with poly bags dominating the litter. Poly bags in particular have been a focus, because it has contributed to host of problems in India such as choked sewers, animal deaths and clogged soils. This is not the case with many developing countries like India where municipal services are limited. The failure to provide adequate collection services poses a serious threat to human health in India. Yet, it should be noted finances and ever increasing demand on urban services handicap municipal services in India. In fact, it is the poor who derive their living from waste

who demonstrate better efficiency in collecting waste and perform the important task of segregating waste that can be recycled from biodegradable waste. These pits of rotting waste generate methane, which cannot be tapped or used without regular soil cover. During monsoons, rain dissolves the toxins present in the waste that permeates the soil and pollutes groundwater. Besides littering, problems also exist in the plastic recycling industry in India. Plastic recycling presents a unique scenario in India. The recycling units are dispersed between the formal and the informal sector. Poly bag recycling is carried out predominantly by the informal units, which are characterized by outdated technologies, unskilled labor, and poor health and safety conditions for workers. Hence the quality of the recycled products from this sector is very poor. LAWS Strategic Taxes Can Cut Plastic Bag Use In 2001, for example, Ireland was using 1.2 billion plastic bags annually, about 316 per person. In 2002, the Irish government imposed a plastic bag consumption tax (called a PlasTax), which has reduced consumption by 90 percent. The tax of $.15 per bag is paid by consumers when they check out at the store. Besides cutting back on litter, Irelands tax has saved approximately 18 million liters of oil. Several other governments around the world are now considering a similar tax on plastic bags. Governments Use the Law to Limit Plastic Bags More recently, Japan passed a law that empowers the government to issue warnings to merchants that overuse plastic bags and dont do enough to reduce, reuse or recycle. In Japanese culture, it is common for stores to wrap each item in its own bag, which the Japanese consider a matter of both good hygiene and respect or politeness. Los Angeles City Council approves plastic bag ban, 10-cent paper bag fee Most stores in Los Angeles will not be allowed to provide plastic bags and must charge for paper bags under a ban approved Wednesday by the City Council. The ban, approved on a 13-1 vote, still has to undergo a four-month environmental study, and then requires a final vote and signature from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The plan gives large markets six months and smaller stores 12 months to phase out plastic bags. Shops would be required to charge 10 cents per paper bag one year after the ban is enacted. Plastic bags offered in supermarket produce sections would be exempted. Councilman Paul Koretz, the main supporter of the ban, estimated it will officially take effect within 10 months, giving stores time to use up the bags they now have.

IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW Delhi government laid a ban on the colored plastic bags along with those whose thickness is less than 20 microns? But in the absences of strict delegation of rules and laws such bans become meaningless. Why the attitude of even those people who when go out of the country became very particular about their garbage and do not throw a single bit of paper on the road, but in India they do not think twice before throwing their garbage on the roadside. What are those motivational complexities, which put certain constraints in front of the people to behave so irresponsibly towards environment? The critical barrier to ecologically responsible consumer behavior, include consumers reluctance to pay the higher costs not only as money but also in terms of time and effort usually associated with the alternatives of plastic carry bags, as well as their willingness to accept certain sacrifices in the susceptibly prescribed quality of the product variants. To choose the environmentally sound alternatives, ecologically oriented consumer should ideally have this informatics to be able to determine the total impact of each product considering the entire life cycle of the product on the environment. In spite of awareness regarding the environmental hazard due to plastic bags for their excessive use and improper disposal, people continue to do the same and no governance is able to stop this behavior of masses. The purpose of this research is to analyze and discuss the factors responsible for ecologically. The Delhi government has stepped up efforts to implement the ban on manufacture of plastic bags in the city. It has now sought comments from public on a new draft rule to discourage the use of plastic bags. Anyone found manufacturing bags from plastic, that is prohibited in Delhi, could be jailed for up to five years or fined Rs 1 lakh or both, according to a draft of the notification put up for public comments.

We have publicised the notification so we could get suggestions and objections, if any, from all the stakeholders. This is open till November 20, after which a final notification will be issued imposing the ban, a senior environment official said. In April , the government decided to ban plastic bag manufacturing as it felt domestic production was making them cheap to buy, and was a reason why a ban on plastic bags enforced in 2009 remained unsuccessful. A senior environment official said once the ban comes into force, at least 400 plastic bag manufacturing units currently operating in the city will have to shut down. A survey, done earlier this year, showed that the annual turnover of these units is in the range of Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,000 crore, the official said. According to the draft notification, no person, including shopkeepers, vendors, wholesalers, retailers and hawkers, will be allowed to sell, store or use plastic carry bags. No person shall (be allowed) to manufacture, store, import, sell or transport any kind of plastic carry bags (including that of polypropelene, non-woven fabric type) in the whole of National Capital Territory of Delhi except for export purposes, the notification states. The use of plastic cover or pouch to pack magazines and invitation or greeting cards will also be prohibited, a senior environment official. But the ban will not be applicable to containers used for packing food material, milk and bags that constitute or form an integral part of the packaging in which goods are sealed prior to use, the official said. Following a High Court order, the government had in January 2009 imposed a ban on the use of plastic bags in various markets, shopping malls, hotels and hospitals, but it has not been very effective. Indian Laws on Plastic Use: Use of Plastic in India Is Illegal The indiscriminate use of plastic bags poses huge threat to the environment and poses serious health hazards for life on the earth. The main problems with plastic bags are they are nonbiodegradable, they choke drains and sewers, and when burnt, they emit poisonous gases. Plastic bags form a major part of Delhis garbage heaps, most of which are disposed off into the

Yamuna. Indian laws on plastic use notwithstanding, approximately 1.2 million tons of plastic are recycled in Delhi per year, 90 percent of which is recycled illegally. The government has put a complete ban on the use of any type of plastic. The Indian laws on plastic use are covered under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which has provisions for punishing the offender with five years of imprisonment or fine up to Rs.1 lakh or both. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been empowered to implement the ban and register complaint against violators. A special inspection team has been formed by the DPCC, which will initiate punishment. However, with Delhis 16 million population, the ban cannot be implemented overnight. With no particular deadline to enforce the ban, the Indian law on plastic use will be enforced lightly in the beginning. This allows people sufficient time to quit the use of plastic bags and opt for substitutes such as jute or paper bags. The first targets of DPCC are illegal recycling units. The officials, however, are facing difficulty in keeping check on these illegal recycling units, as DPCC does not have adequate manpower to undertake the operation.