A new ban on ‘single use plastic’ continues. The government has defined ‘single-use’ plastic as something that is used once and then disposed of or recycled.
The government has listed 21 items that need to be phased out and they include plates made of plastic, cups made of plastic, earbuds with plastic sticks, glasses made of plastic; Wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes and cigarette packets.
Going through the exhaustive list made me wonder and wonder how plastic has quietly penetrated our lives and has become so deep that we cannot even think of life without them.
The durability and convenience offered by plastics have proved to be a Faustian bargain in the long run. Once we discard plastic items, they are not biodegradable and usually go to a landfill where they get buried or eventually get into the water and find their way into the ocean. They later break down into smaller particles and release toxic chemicals. These chemicals enter our food and water supplies and are found in our bloodstream, causing various diseases including cancer, infertility, birth defects and impaired immunity.
I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of what a pre-plastic or less-plastic era looked like. We had to carry a glass bottle or steel container when we went to buy milk, a cloth bag was essential for shopping at grocery and vegetable stores, and every store had a stock of old newspaper to wrap and pack.
Some shopkeepers used small packets made of newspapers, while others used sheets of newspaper to wrap items that were tied with cotton or jute thread. The speed and dexterity with which those seasoned shopkeepers wrapped half a kilogram of pulses or sugar in paper and tied them together was a sight to behold.
At that time, there were hardly any supermarkets and friendly neighborhoods. Grocery Stores were a mainstay in metro cities as well. They were basic sub-1,000-square-foot stores, with sacks of rice, wheat, sugar, and various pulses occupying the majority of the floor, while bottles of health drinks (such as Horlicks or Bournvita), soap, Toothpaste and other toiletries and detergents were kept on the shelves.
Storefront cupboards with glass displays were reserved for chocolates and biscuits, while toffees and dried fruits were stored in large cookie jars made of glass. was like this Grocery The stores from Kashmir to Kanyakumari were visible with only minor changes.
at vegetable shops tocris (baskets made of bamboo) for holding different vegetables. At meat and fish shops, mutton or chicken was wrapped in paper and people brought cloth bags to take their purchases home. Hospitals, clinics and medical stores put syrups and tonics in glass bottles.
Soft drinks such as Fanta and Coke in their earlier incarnations came in glass bottles; In hotels tea/coffee was served in glasses or steel glasses. In places like Agra and some neighboring cities, we had tea shops serving tea ax or pottery.
Plastic was limited to a few items such as toothbrushes, pens, face-cream boxes, lunch boxes and water bottles for school children, educational stationery such as rulers, protractors and set squares.
Later, milk cooperatives adopted plastic, as it offered hassle-free milk delivery. Customers also readily accepted it as bottles or containers were no longer needed.
The introduction of polyethylene terephthalate containers or PET bottles and the concept of bottled mineral water dealt a major blow to the glass bottling industry. Cola, cough syrup, alcohol, shampoo… what used to be packaged in glass bottles were replaced by PET bottles, as they were unbreakable.
Plastic cups started making their presence felt at railway stations. There was damage in the areas near the railway tracks after passengers threw cups out of the window. Soon all tea shops started using plastic cups to wash away glasses and glasses.
Then came the advent of plastic bags, which turned the entire packaging industry on its head. First followed paper bags and newspaper sheets as shoppers found plastic carry bags more convenient to use – no time-consuming wrapping required. Customers were also attracted to this innovation as it gave them the freedom to bring cloth bags with them.
The devastating effects of these plastic bags began to emerge. These were thrown in garbage cans and on the way. Since they were lightweight, they were easily blown away by the wind and soon became ubiquitous – and consumed by cattle.
For waste managers, single-use plastics became a major headache and soon municipal landfills were filled with plastic bags. Municipalities have tried various methods including segregation of waste, banning the use of plastic bags and cracking down on shops violating these norms, but these bags of 40-50 micron thickness create major problems for the environment and health. are doing.
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