PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE ABOUT BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS IN

DELHI

Plastic bags play an integral role in our daily life. Be it carrying groceries from the local
Kirana store or the storing of household articles in a polybag, we never actually run out of
plastic bags. The omnipresence of this utility object brought to the fore an impending
problem that needed to be resolved. The problem associated with using plastic bags is that
they are not biodegradable and in fact take close to 60 years to decompose. Apart from that,
they are also the cause of various other problems such as clogging of drainpipes and death of
cattle that accidentally chew on plastic bags. This prompted the Delhi government to finally
take notice and introduce a blanket ban on plastic bags in 2009. The storage and sale of
plastic bags in all places, including shops, is banned. The penalty for violating the ban could
be a fine of 1,00,000 or five years, imprisonment, or both. The officials empowered to
enforce the ban are the staff of the health and environment department. Food and supply
officers and subdivisional magistrates are also empowered to enforce the ban. The Delhi
Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been assigned the task of implementation. It has
formed a special inspection team for the purpose. The team would visit manufacturing units
and retail shops and would initiate punishment for the violators. The scope of this ban has
been widened by including four-star hotels under its purview. The imposition of this
widespread ban has prompted researchers to analyse the impact and effectiveness of the ban
from the perspective of both the consumer and the vendor. They first checked whether the
consumers and vendors are aware of the ban or not. Along with that, they analysed the
preference, choices, and willingness of the consumers and vendors from diverse backgrounds
to switch to eco-friendly alternatives so as to ascertain the effectiveness of the ban on plastic
bags. A survey was conducted in Delhi to understand the perception of consumers about the
plastic bag ban. The statements related to the respondents' perceptions are listed below: What
are your views about plastic bags since the ban? (Tick one for each answer)

Parameters Strongly Moderately Neither Moderately Strongly

Agree (1) Agree (2) Agree nor Disagree Disagree
Disagree (4) (5)
(3)
Plastic bag is a must
when buying
groceries/vegetables.
(X12a)
Plastic bag is
harmful for the
environment.
(X12b)
I do not wish to quit
 using plastic bags.
(X12c)
I try to avoid plastic
bags as much as I
can. (X12d)
Plastic bag ban is
not enforced
properly. (X12e)
Paper bag is not a
useful substitute for
plastic bag. (X12f)

A sample of 44 respondents was chosen randomly.

 The variable age is coded as:

1 = Below 18 years
2 = 18 to 30 years
3 = 31 to 50 years

 The variable gender is coded as: 1 = Male 2 = Female

QUESTIONS
1. By using an appropriate statistical test, identify the parameters of the plastic bags ban on
which the consumers have a favorable opinion.  (Hint: Test the null hypothesis: µ = 3
against an appropriate alternative hypothesis.)
2. Using an appropriate statistical test, examine whether the views of the male and the female
respondents are the same.
3. Divide all the respondents into three groups by taking respondents aged below 18 as the
younger respondents, 18 to 30 as adult respondents, and those who are 31 above as older
respondents. Now statistically examine whether the views on the ban on plastic bags are
different among these three groups of respondents.
4. Write a summary of your findings.