A Plastic World

Imagine the entire world was made of plastics. The house, the tree, the sand, the sky - everything made of plastics; but then could we humans survive? Would plastic become our staple; a reason to live?

Unfortunately that is not the case. I remember since my school days I was told plastic is bad for the environment. Since the time science was divided into physics, chemistry and biology we were told plastics are non biodegradable. Since the 1990s I was aware that plastics do not decay like food waste. Infact the idea plastics are non biodegradable and hazard for environment would be existing even before the 90s. As plastics do not decay they just keep piling up.

If  plastics do not decay and are harmful for the environment then why do we use it? 

By 2010 most shops started charging for the carry bags. As a customer most of us would happy pay that extra 5, 10, 15 or whatever extra amount was being charged. However slowly in a country like India government started getting concerned and decided to put a ban on plastics. Those who are environment lovers came with the idea of carrying own bags for shopping.

The question is that we all know plastics are harmful for the environment; then why dont we put a stop on the production of plastic bags? If there will be no plastic bags being manufactured automatically we will switch to cloth bags and maybe carry our bags for shopping.

In schools we are definitely taught plastics are harmful for the environment but the very next minute we might buy something from a shop or vegetable cart and demand for a plastic bag. Maybe the roadside cart sellers find it easier to provide stuff in a plastic bags so they keep a stock plastic carry bags. 

The best way which has been found to educate these roadside sellers is by police threatening them that they will not be allowed to sell their stuff. Some even fine these roadside vendors. Why they dont fine the customers who ask for plastic bags? Arent customers who demand for plastic bags equally responsible for the plastic menace?

Once I went to a mandi in a village near Ranchi and the villagers clearly said without a carry bag they will not sell their stuff. In the mandi a person was selling the jute carry bags at Rs. 10. So anyone who did not have their own bags first had to buy a jute carry bag and then only could they shop around.

Now a days plastics are being used in road construction. Plastics have been rated and more and more places are being encouraged to go plastic less. But still there are a lot of products which we have to package in plastic bags. Even though our government is promoting the idea of Swach Bharat still we throw away plastic covers here and there.

Can we really reduce the consumption of plastics? Can we really try creating a plastic free world? By when can we expect people carrying their own bags and those who are not doing so then some action being taken against them?

I am sure no one would like to wake up with plastic covers all around them.