SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Four months after India banned certain single-use plastic items to tackle plastic-waste, single-use plastic items are being seen everywhere in J&K’s local markets without any fear. While vendors expressed helplessness at lack of alternatives to these plastic products, experts argued that the ban targets most vulnerable but gives a free-hand to multinational corporations.
India is fifth highest generator of plastic waste in world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to avoid usage of single-use plastic during his Independence Day speech in 2019. From July 1, 2022, India banned single-use plastic items that have low utility but are frequently littered around, such as plastic straws, with an aim to curb plastic pollution, since single-use plastic harms terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
India notified Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules in August 2021, and ban came into effect a year later. From July 1, 2022, India banned the following single-use plastic items like ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice- cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives etc. A ban is already in place on carrybags having thickness less than 75 microns and from December 31, 2022, bags up to 120 microns will also be banned.
Suhail Ahamed, who sells readymade garments asked, “Why don’t you ask big shopkeepers about use of plastic-bags,” adding, “We are poor people. Is burden of saving environment only on poor?” At retail stores, we did find plastic ear-buds. When quizzed about it, a staff-member said, “Some ear-buds may be plastic, but they are manufactured that way. What can I do?”
Educating the customer, however, is a long-term process. In short term, not only has the ban not significantly impacted the use of single-use plastics, it has caused a section of the industry to shut shop, leading to financial distress and job losses. Pointing out that if even this partial ban has to produce results, the lowest tier of industry will need considerable hand holding in initial stages. “At least keep a subsidised vending machine for paper-straws. Small business bodies believes that if the Government is serious about ending plastic pollution, it needs to first target the petrochemical industry (which supplies the raw material for plastic) and not poor vendors,” said a street-vendor.