The city Corporation is set to take on a culture that ranks convenience above environmental sustainability through its ban on the sale of plastic carry bags and non-woven polypropylene bags from Wednesday.
It has been pushing the use of alternatives, through conducting training programmes in the manufacture of paper and cloth bags, the ongoing cloth/paper bag expo, as well as through a ₹2-crore project for launching its own cloth and paper bag-making unit. It is also planning to distribute 25 lakh cloth bags to people at subsidised rates. So far, orders have been made at the expo for 5 lakh cloth bags and 10 lakh paper bags.
Shopkeepers sceptical
While acknowledging the good intentions of the move, shopkeepers and customers have expressed scepticism. For one, the alternatives cost more than plastic bags, making their regular use unprofitable, especially for small enterprises, says M. Nagaraj, manager of a textile store at Palayam. For instance, a medium-sized cloth bag can cost between ₹40 to ₹100, or even more.
The packing costs would rise even further for heavy items made of glass and so on, says Tara, an employee at a gift store.
Another issue is the need for waterproof packaging for wet and soggy items such as fish and vegetables.
However, the Corporation is hopeful of addressing these concerns. In order to subsidise the cost of paper and cloth bags, it is planning to facilitate advertising by companies on the bags.
Bulk production following the ban is also expected to bring the prices down. In any case, the higher price is not unreasonable as these bags are meant to be reused, says a Corporation official.
As for packing fish, products like the ‘meen sanchi,’ which is a cloth bag lined with water-proof woven sack, and paper bags with wax coating are available in the market.
Enforcement
The ban will be enforced by 12 special squads that will give notices to enterprises, as well as conduct raids to confiscate the banned items. Shops that fail to comply will have to pay a fine from April, and their licence will be cancelled. From next year, licence will be renewed only after ensuring compliance, Mayor V.K. Prasanth said.
