Ban on plastic bans in Maharastra
The reason for the ban apparently is because "for choking drains and causing the calamitous flooding of Mumbai during last month's torrential downpour". An escape goat for the lack of working drainage system in Mumbai or elsewhere in Maharastra.
The Hindu: Maharashtra bans plastic bags; serial offenders may be jailed
Overall plastic bags are bad as they are tough to recycle and are enviornmentally harmful. But I dont know whether ban will really help. Banning anything usually creates a black market or is not possable to impose the ban or some people benefit out of it and masses suffer.
Better solution would be to better inform people, incentivize other bags (paper etc). For the Harry potter fans Dumbeldore said "One has to chose between what is right and what is easy" and our policy makers usually make the choice of - easy.
posted by Rahul @ 5:19 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Better solution would be to better inform people, incentivize other bags (paper etc).
Actually, paper bags are NOT another alternative that is better. There are substantial "other" factors in paper bags, like paper production (toxic industry), wood consumption, energy costs etc, stacking ability etc.
here's a good link.
Anyway....the older system (of taking grocery bags/baskets to the store....some thing our moms used to do in our childhood) works much better.
I take a backpack to the store.....it's far easier walking or bussing back home with a backpack than it is with 10 plastic bags.
I do the same to backpack filled with extra plastics (in case I need them).
Also there should be incentives for the customers to reuse bags, e.g. some stores enter them into sweepstakes or gives back few cents.
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