Bengaluru produces 40 tonnes of plastic waste every day, says report

Bengaluru is now generating about 40 tonnes of plastic waste a day, says a report released by the NGO To Make A Difference (TMAD). This is one of the reasons why the drains in the city get clogged when it rains, the Deccan Herald reports.

Since the IT city has open stormwater drains, most of the plastic waste like bottles, milk packets, etc, end up clogging them. The TMAD report says, “The average human in India uses three kg of plastic per person per year. That’s far lower than the Europeans who consume 60 kg per year, and the Americans who consume 80 kg. Because we are so populous, the amount of plastic consumed is mind boggling and our disposal habits make it a health hazard.”

Plastic is not biodegradable and thus affects the health of humans as well as mammals when it gets into water bodies. The NGO’s report also adds that plastic bags in landfills will take hundreds of years to break down and when they do they contaminate the soil and water.

Though many people suggest paper bags, these also end up using a lot of trees, says the report. The best solution is reusable bags made of materials that don’t harm the earth and the environment.