Sanitary pads take 500-800 years to decompose: plastic straws, cup-glasses and plate bans, don’t separate corners if you open milk packets

Single use plastic will not be used in the country from today. Under the ban, many plastic and thermocol items including straw, cup-glass, bow, fork-spoon and plate will not be used. Due to this, where the beverage companies are facing a crisis. At the same time, the concern of common man and street vendors has also increased. What is single use plastic and how dangerous is it? Why has the government banned it? What are its options? Read the report of Bhaskar Woman…

Environmentalist Vikrant Tongad says, ‘We are so dependent on plastic that from drinking water to lunch boxes, milk-curd packets, tea-coffee, chips, namkeen, biscuits and bringing fruits and vegetables home, it is part of our daily routine. Is part of. The reason for this is that it can be easily carried anywhere. It is affordable, beautiful and durable compared to other alternatives in the market, while its substitutes such as glass, paper and wood products are still extremely expensive. Also, it takes a lot of effort to transport them.

Togde says that while using plastic, people remain unaware of its ill-effects. It is dangerous for both environment and health. We have to understand that plastic is polluting the environment and contaminating the ground water. There is killing of aquatic creatures. Mountains of plastic waste have become in the country, the lives of the people living around it have become difficult. So now its alternatives have to be explored.

Single Use Plastic: Which Items Have Been Banned?

(plastics with a thickness of less than 100 microns)

What is single use plastic?
Single use plastic means products that are thrown away after using them once. It also cannot be easily decomposed and recycled. This is the reason why single use plastic is important in increasing garbage and pollution. The items being banned from today include plastic banners less than 100 microns in thickness. Balloons, flags, candy, ear buds sticks and cling wraps used in sweet boxes are also included. Not only this, the central government has said that plastic bags with a thickness of less than 120 microns will also be banned from December 31, 2022.

Why was the ban imposed?
Plastic waste is the biggest factor in spreading pollution. According to the central government data, more than 30.59 lakh tonnes of plastic waste was generated in the country in 2018-19 and more than 34 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. Plastic is neither decomposable nor can it be incinerated, as it releases toxic smoke and harmful gases. In such a situation, storage is the only way apart from recycling.

Plastic reaches the river and sea through different routes. Plastic breaks down into fine particles and mixes in water, which we call microplastic. In such a situation, the water of the river and sea also gets polluted. This is the reason that by banning plastic items, India will be able to reduce its plastic waste generation figure.

Immune system can be bad
Dr. Neeta Radhakrishnan, Head of the Department of Oncology at PGI, says that many dangerous chemicals are used in the manufacture of plastics. These chemicals are released when hot or sour substances are put in plastic. When fish eat, plastic particles reach the body. Toxic chemicals such as CC, cadmium, BPA and mercury directly exposed to the human body can cause serious diseases such as cancer, congenital disabilities, affecting the immune system and development of children.

How to avoid plastic borne diseases?

Street vendors can save Rs 3000 per month
Environmentalist Shail Mathur says that I am happy with the government’s decision, but a permanent solution should be found. Law is made here, but it is not implemented at the ground level. However, this time production, distribution, importing and selling are being banned in all ways. Along with this, there is also a provision to levy a fine ranging from 500 to 5000 for violating the law. People have to be made aware to adopt old ways again. Earlier people used to come out of the house with food and water. They also used to take bags from home to bring goods from the market. If you cannot take food now, then you can keep a steel plate, bowl and bottle with you. Instead of taking milk from packets, you can take it from the booth. Street vendors can save around Rs 3000 a month by not giving polythene.

Let us inform that for the last several years, Shail Mathur has been making the sellers of the shop, street vendors, to use paper and cloth bags instead of polythene. She has so far collected more than 3000 kg of polythene from local markets. At the same time, more than 15 thousand cloth bags have been distributed so far.

Tetra pack is not recycled
Shail Mathur says that the government should first ban the plastic, which cannot be recycled. Campaigns like ‘Remove plastic, bring tetra pack’ were launched, but there are many layers in the tetra pack, which are not recyclable. All kinds of plastics like water bottles, milk bags can be recycled, but plastic waste does not reach there. Major sources of single use plastics are hospital, food and beverage industry, travel and tourism, FMCG, e-commerce retail, nicotine industry, alcohol beverage industry. They have to come forward to save the earth.

Vikrant Tongad says that according to the law, refrigerators, mobiles, coolers, ACs and other old electronic items and gadgets can be sold by visiting their stores, where the company will recycle. At the same time, the customer will also get some payment for the defective goods.

Choose this option instead of plastic

Do not detach the corner if you open the packet
Researcher Anjali Gupta says, whenever you bring packaged food, milk, chips, namkeen, soap, detergent powder or chocolate to the house, tear it so that the piece of plastic does not separate. Whenever we cut off the corner while opening the packet, then it is not able to collect for recycling. Even if the recycling reaches the booth, it still cannot be recycled, so it has to be dumped, which is dangerous for the environment. There are many organizations like Reacherkha and Ecokari, which are making the best products by using plastic waste, so you can deliver plastic waste to them too.