DNA Edit: Banning plastic – Maharashtra government sets an example for India

The Maharashtra government’s ban on the manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of all plastic materials in the state deserve wholehearted support from citizens. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the city alone produces 750 metric tonnes of plastic as part of garbage every day. Imagine what the rest of the state was generating before the ban kicked in. In the absence of recycling measures and plastic being non-biodegradable, this huge amount of toxic waste got dumped in landfills and a chunk of it found its way into the Arabian Sea, causing tremendous harm to the soil as well as to marine biodiversity.

Every monsoon, the drains, which are supposed to take in rainwater get clogged due to plastic litter. An ordinary plastic bag takes somewhere around 10-1000 years to decompose, while plastic bottles can take up to 450 years or more. This incredibly slow rate of decay means that with every bag being dumped, the problem gets bigger and bigger. The Maharashtra government has shown enormous courage in taking this problem head-on. And, surprisingly, the citizens have expressed eagerness to abide by the ban. There will be problems in the short run since people have gotten too used to plastic, but the pain of today will yield tremendous gains in the future. Some trader associations have complained about the steep fine — Rs 5,000 for the first instance of violation, which can increase up to Rs 25,000 — and the clause of three months imprisonment, but it was the only way the state government could have hoped to see results. Awareness drives in the past had done little to bring about a change in the mindset of the people. Their blatant disregard for environmental issues has become a cause for concern among environmentalists. The future of the planet is at stake.