Plastic ban: BCC has a plan
Cauvery Nanaiah / Times of India 28jun01

BANGALORE: AT last plastic bags are to be banned in Bangalore. The health committee of the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) has finally decided to act to stop the environmental damage caused by bags thinner than 20 microns.

The health committee will discuss the ban with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the police department and put it up for approval at the Council meeting to be held tomorrow, June 29.

After that what? How will the use of thin plastic bags be curbed? According to health committee chairman S Shivappa, "The BCC will give the manufacturers of plastic a deadline of about a month to discard the existing thin plastic bags. Later, these will be recycled to produce thick plastic bags which can be reused and do not therefore cause irreparable environmental damage."
Shivappa says the BCC will stop the production of harmful plastic bags at the factory itself so that these bags do not reach the markets. "It is not possible to fine all the users, considering how widespread the use of thin plastic bags is, so we will focus on action against the production units," he explains.

It is likely that manufacturers will fall in line. "The banning of plastic is not a threat to our business as we will be manufacturing the thick plastic bags and these will be widely used," says the owner of one plastic factory.

The makers of eco-friendly bags stand to gain as the BCC plans to encourage the use of cloth and paper bags as an alternative to plastic. In fact, this time the government seems keen to see the ban enforced and has asked the elected representatives in various constituencies to take an active part in this drive and also create awareness among the public.

In places like Mumbai, Goa and some hill stations the ban on hazardous plastic has been successful because of increased awareness and public support.The BCC is looking to duplicate that strategy here. "Mass awareness is a must, so we have decided to educate them through newspapers and pamphlets," says Shivappa.

"Once the people are convinced the ban is for their good and that of their environment, then thin plastic will no longer be used."

Environmentalists have welcomed the BCC's initiative but emphasise that the ban must be enforced with vigour and not allowed to gather dust like so many other schemes.

Suresh Hebliker says, "It's a wonderful policy if properly implemented. We've seen how dangerous the masses of plastic dumped in our lakes have become. The government should also withstand the pressure from the plastic manufacturers' lobby. It's going to be a tricky issue to manoeuvre, but it must be done."

NGOs are also expected to play an active role in enforcing the ban on plastic. The BCC will be roping them in to put this environment-saving measure into place. Then, it will be up to Bangaloreans to do their bit and say no to plastic bags.
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State bans `thin' plastic bags...`goes slow' on order
Sanjay Banerjee / Times of India 16may01

PANAJI -- Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar issues a notification banning the manufacture of `thin' plastic bags. The `rollback' is almost immediate; the government `goes slow' on the notification.
Parrikar also slapped a levy on the non-biodegradable plastic following reports that plastic bottles and bags were strewn along the coast.

The Goa Small Industries Association is shocked as the `ban' order would affect 42 units and displace 400-500 employees.

The association is pursuing a dialogue with the government to allow these units continue production as these plastic bags conformed to the central government norms of 20 microns thickness.

``The government wants bags to be of 100 microns so that households can re-use them. The decision is fine but what about the units making them. Will there be a demand for such bags? How does one ensure 20-micron bags entering the state,'' asks association vice-president Suren Salgaokar.

The former president, Parag Joshi, said the Mumbai experiment of segregating garbage in plastic in certain areas has yielded positive results. Something like that can be implemented in Goa too.
Sources, however, said the government may not exactly insist on 100 microns but may insist that bags be slightly thicker to dissuade people from using them to dispose garbage. The government is willing to provide subsidy to anybody setting up such a plant to promote recycling of bags.

The association, along with Indian Centre for Plastic in Environment (ICPE), will educate the people on waste management. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has set up a task force to draft guidelines to deal with waste. One of the recommendations of the task force is the setting up of ICPE.

The ICPE will provide, monitor and promote social, environmental and technological inputs in respect of the plastic industry.

``To manufacture something thicker is a good suggestion but there is a way out as stated by study groups that if the waste is disposed systematically, the plastic bags can be recycled properly. At present, they are enmeshed in wet garbage posing a problem for proper disposal. In any case, milk sachets are recycled even if they are not of 100 microns,'' reasons Joshi.