Reduce, reuse, just say no

Did you go shopping this week? How many plastic bags did you return with? And what did you do with the bags? Use them as trashcan liners? Pick up dog poop and used cat litter? Pillow stuffing? Wrap left overs in the fridge? Sick bag? As Indians, we’ll reuse plastic bags several times over. That’s because we have an uncelebrated but vigorous culture of reuse. 

We hate throwing things away unless we’ve reused them a couple of times — including oil to fry in the kitchen and washed plastic milk packets to apply henna. And the wonderful twin of reuse is repair. We’ll repair anything with pins, tape and staples: broken pens, cracked crockery, mobile phones, tennis racquets, even cars ready for the junk heap. It comes from a history of scarcity and the economic realities of India. But it’s also the uber desi thing to do. In a sense you could also say we became eco-conscious long before the need.

Greendex 2008, a National Geographic-GlobeScan worldwide tracking survey said that lifestyles in India are more sustainable than those in advanced nations. The survey showed that Chinese and Indians were more likely than those in other countries to install solar panels at their residence to heat water.

The survey also said that consumers in China, Brazil, Hungary, India, Mexico, and Russia — all emerging economies, are more likely than others to say that they plan to make changes to their residence that will reduce its footprint, such as installing insulation and thermaenergy saving appliances and heating systems. Consumers surveyed in India receive the highest Greendex scores for food consumption by virtue of low levels of meat consumption and high volumes of fruits and vegetables eaten. 

So if we are eco-sensitive, will the National Geographic initiative launched earlier this week on Commercial Street to replace plastic bags with reusable cloth bags succeed? The real question is: Will we change our lifestyles for the sake of the environment? Commercial Street houses more than 250 stores. Maybe, at an average, 20,000 shoppers end up in a shopping frenzy on that tiny strip each day. Switching to cloth bags may not make a dent in the threat posed by plastic shopping bags, but success will indicate a shift in thinking.

Adopting cloth bags for shopping is about a change in values and a shift in behaviour ingrained over generations who have bravely endured a paucity of food and clothing. Intuitively, cloth bags seem to be a bad idea. After all, aren’t they more precious? Besides, what do I do for the dog poop?

Replacing plastic bags in several countries has worked well — and there should be no reason why it won’t here. In South Africa, plastic bags are often referred to as the “national flower” because they once marked the landscape across the country. Now, shoppers pay a tax to use plastic bags as a consequence of which reusable cloth bags are becoming popular. Hong Kong has a tax for products (including plastic bags) for which there is an environment-friendly alternative. 

In Australia, legislation to reduce the use of plastic bags was passed in 2003. By 2005, there was a 50% reduction in the use of plastic bags. One country, Bangladesh, turned the legislation in Australia into a business opportunity: Australia’s ‘Keep Australia Beautiful’ awarded a ‘Plastic Bag Reduction Award’ to businesses that provided sustainable-trade, Bangladesh-made jute bags.

Ireland has a PlasTax that reduced plastic bag consumption by an astonishing 95%, changing the look and feel of its streets and countryside. Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland, the US and Canada have all had successful ways to manage the proliferation of plastic shopping bags. 

Just in case you missed the point it is this: countries all over the world are managing the problem. It isn’t rocket science; it is a crisis that needs urgent attention.

Not that there are no pockets of hope in India. Himachal has a law where usage of a plastic bag can result in a prison term. The law is fairly stringent, banning the production, storage and distribution of plastic bags as well. In Panaji, Goa, people donate old newspapers and publications that are turned into paper-bags. Neighbouring Ooty has a no-plastic bag policy.

A Chennai-based company, Ravi Plastics, makes bio-degradable plastic bags and claims they behave like cellulose, quickly breaking down and getting back into the ecosystem thanks to a heavy dose of enzymes used in their manufacture. The bags have been certified biodegradable by the Bangalore centre of the Shriram Institute for Industrial Research. So we don’t have a dearth of answers; we have a lack of response.

Maybe it will take the determination of Kusum General Stores on Avenue Road that has, since 2000, refused to give shoppers a plastic bag. A simple sign at the store, at the risk of lowered sales, proclaims: `We are plastic free. Please do not ask for carry bags.'  We salute the store for showing the way.