Glad that we Chennaiites are bidding goodbye to carrybags, thanks to the environmentalists for creating awareness of the havoc the synthetic material is causing. I learnt a lesson the hard way a few months ago about the necessity of carrying my own cloth bag. This was during my visit to Hyderabad. I bought a number of door handles and stoppers, besides a couple of chromium-plated taps from a hardware shop, paid the bill and waited for the salesman to put them all in a carrybag. But he did nothing of that sort and promptly went on to attend to the next customer.
When I found all the things lying on the counter even after waiting for a full 15 minutes, I repeated my request for a carrybag, and he vehemently shook his head, saying they have stopped giving carrybags, and anyone seen giving or carrying one would be fined. Only then did it dawn on me that carrybags were banned in Andhra Pradesh. Since I couldn't carry my purchases in my hands, I requested him to at least wrap them up in a paper or put them in a cardboard box. He reluctantly dished out a torn one which lost its shape also but I thought something was better than nothing.
A nuisance
In Tamil Nadu, a ban on carrybags is being introduced in stages because you can still get them for a price depending upon their size. I, for one, will be very happy to see the day when carrybags completely disappear from Chennai because of the nuisance and distraction they create: by ‘they' I mean the people who carry them. If you happen to sit anywhere near these people, be it at a meeting, conference or concert, you suddenly hear a rustling noise, loud enough to drown the voice of the speaker or the singer. You realise that the owner of the carrybag is digging his hands into it in search of something which he probably needs urgently. You helplessly watch him though you feel like snatching the carrybag from his hands.
(The writer's email ID is meera45@gmail.com)
Keywords: plastic waste, plastic carrybags, plastic ban
This restriction of carry bags in plastic is a welcome move. But I find that the traders and retailers have taken this as an opportunity make extra bugs out of this concept. They charge the consumer for the same plastic bags which they were giving free of cost. Instead let them charge the cost of a paper or cloth bag even if it is costlier, this will give a pressure to the consumer for bringing their own bags. The idea of charging a nominal cost kills the total idea of the concept. Instead of reducing the circulation of plastic we pay a cost and circulate them.
ofcourse, plastic bags have so many environment related issues.. but some times we cant avoid that but we should look for more than 20micron bags which can be recycled...
the better way is to reuse the plastic bags., as i do.
when ever possible., i refuse to put my things in plastic bag which was been given by the seller and i carry things in my hands..
another way to stop plastic wastage., we should segregate the waste into decaying and non-decaying waste..
This refers your article Can plastic recede from our daily life? dated 20.11.11. I would like to register my views sir. The awareness created by the environmentalists has not gone to all the people who include the sellers and buyers. We are all not carrying bags to the shops and the sellers are providing plastic carry bags. Added to this, the vendors are providing plastic bags for various commodities and to put them all in one more plastic carry bag. The destruction created by the plastic bags is too much. If plastic bags are burnt, they produce toxic gas and the rainwater is not soaking. As I have attended environmental classes, I keep a cloth bag in my pocket, at least to avoid putting the purchased or any other item in one more plastic carry bag, for the past several years.
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