BENGALURU: It’s been a year since single-use plastic was banned in the state, in July 2022. However, polythene bags are still in use around local markets and at shopping centres. When TNIE spoke to local vendors around the city, they said that sometimes, customers demand bags to carry groceries and other items, and also that these bags are cheaper compared to other alternatives. “We try and give fruits and vegetables in paper envelopes, but when the customer purchases more items, they tear real quick,” said Pratik G, a vegetable vendor at the Bommanahalli market.
A report by the Australia-based Minderoo Foundation said that India’s per capita waste generated from single-use plastic is 4 kg. According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), up to 2022-23, Karnataka generated 2.96 lakh tonnes of plastic annually. With single-use plastic still in circulation, though at a reduced level now, environmentalists have flagged the use of polypropylene bags as an alternative. These bags look like cloth bags and are seen as a replacement for plastic, however, they are neither recyclable nor compostable. The only positive is that they are reusable to an extent.
Krithika Viswanathan, who works at Saahas - a waste management NGO, said, “Polypropylene bags are much worse. They are woven and not stitched or manufactured in machines, so it’s impossible to recycle them. They end up in landfills.” She added that there needs to be a push from the government and industry to stop the production of plastic bags.
“Other forms of packaging need to be introduced and the ban needs to be implemented strictly,” she said. Another activist said that the informal sector, including ragpickers and scrap dealers, needs to be incentivised and startups should be encouraged to build recycled products. Loans and benefits can be provided to such organisations. Public awareness is also needed, say NGOs.
Bengaluru alone generates 600 tonnes of plastic waste daily. Some of the single-use plastic items banned by the government such as ear-buds with plastic sticks, balloons with sticks, balloons, candy sticks, cutlery, crockery such as plates, cups, and glasses, and packing tape around boxes and plastic around cigarette boxes are still very much used today, and can be found across the city.
July 3 is celebrated as International Plastic Bag Free Day.