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ShareA campaign banning plastic in the city has been introduced on Commercial Street. While the initiative has received a mixed response from people, noted ecologist and ornithologist MB Krishna seems optimistic. He shares his views with DNA on the hazards of using plastic bags and the effective ways in which we can reduce our dependence on them.
How effective do you think the campaign encouraging shoppers to carry their own cloth bags introduced by the National Geographic channel in collaboration with the Commercial Street Shopkeepers' Association will be?
The campaign might work in the case of Commercial Street since most shoppers who go there travel by cars. So, carrying a cloth bag or keeping one in the car at all times should not be too much of a problem.
What is the most hazardous consequence of using plastic bags?
The most hazardous consequence of using plastic bags is felt by animals.
'Wet' plastic or packaging, which has been used to carry moist or wet food, is not recycled. Animals, especially ungulates like cattle and horses, tend to eat that plastic which could eventually result in their death. I've even seen a dog with its head stuck in a plastic bottle. The dog had apparently been like that for more than 24 hours when I saw locals trying to rescue it.
Is this the first campaign to curtail the use of plastic bags in the city?
I don't think this is the first campaign of its kind. Though, I would not say that campaigns such as these have failed in the past, but yes, their impact has been marginal.
Why is it not as easy for us to switch over to using cloth bags or even paper bags when the initiative has proved successful in other countries?
Spur-of-the-moment shopping or impulse purchases do not encourage the use of cloth or paper bags which require a degree of planning ahead.
What can people do in their own small way to reduce the use of plastic without having to drastically change their lifestyle?
Re-use plastic bags. Reusing is the first step in recycling, and is also more cost-effective as recycling involves reprocessing and re-manufacturing. Attaching a handle to a plastic carry bag so it can be used as a shoulder bag would also encourage reuse. Shop owners should have a collection box for clean, used plastic bags and not bother too much about whether or not their shop's name is printed on those bags.
Do you think spreading awareness through a campaign is sufficient to make people reduce their use of plastic or is a more stringent government regulation
required?
One cannot expect changes overnight. Making small changes that have an incremental value is what we have to strive for.
