Plastic bags on the way out, but what’s in?

Panaji: Goa did well in blazing a trail in solid waste management, but it got clogged along the way. Another significant proposal to ban plastic will be unveiled soon as state garbage managers plan to equip the market place with alternatives.
With authorities overlooking the implementation of the ban on plastic below 40 microns for a few years, enforcing another “ban” that looks at pushing the dependable but pesky carry bag out of the market poses a serious challenge.

Chief minister Manohar Parrikar had announced Statehood Day, May 30, as the day from which the ban on carry bags and packaging material would be enforced.
With D-Day looming on the horizon, Goa waste management corporation (GWMC) officials are preparing to take up the gauntlet.
“We are bracing ourselves to provide suitable cost-effective alternatives to plastic carry bag and packaging material. Various options are being tested at the moment and we would like to take these alternatives to the people and make them a part of their life,” managing director, Goa waste management corporation, Sanjit Rodrigues said.
A road map is being prepared in association with panchayats, municipalities, self-help groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to offer alternatives.
“We are exploring various types of paper and cloth bags, shortlisting sizes, weight-carrying capacity and also planning extensive use of recycled material,” Rodrigues said.
The ban on plastic has evoked mixed reactions from garbage managers and citizens. The widespread use of the carry bags, combined with entrenched consumer habits, makes it difficult to outlaw it totally.
“This is a good beginning, but it (ban) should be executed properly, unlike the 40-microns ban,” K D Sadhale of Nirmal Vishwa, a Ponda-based NGO said.
Poor civic sense and lack of cooperation from citizens in matters of hygiene is one of the biggest hurdles to scientific waste management. “People should cooperate with authorities, but the problem is that educated people, who are the biggest consumers, are irresponsible in waste disposal and punishment is important as a means of deterrence,” Sadhale said.
Officials of the waste management corporation are keen to work with self-help groups, NGOs, ecology clubs and others. “Many motivated and committed individuals have offered their support. Adequate awareness programmes coupled with stoppage of plastic and alternatives should do the trick,” Rodrigues said.
A few lakh paper and cloth bags are expected to be provided to outlets and markets. “This requirement will progressively come down as we expect the local cottage industry to spring up and sustain itself by supplying alternatives to the market. It will also boost entrepreneurship at village level,” Rodrigues said.
Availability of alternatives can help operationalise the ban and reduce the use of non-biodegradable material. But others point out that a ban extended to a larger canvas of companies and manufacturers accompanied by effective implementation may have produced greater impact in reducing plastic. “Here, only the vendors will be targeted for using alternatives, but what about companies that manufacture different types of plastic and other materials. Everything is packaged in plastic and even products packaged in cardboard are covered with plastic to protect from dampness,” Espie Kandolkar of Green Goa Works, an environmental company said.