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Not all variety of plastics are bad
Vijayawada : Indians who use 10 times less plastic as compared to Americans and five times less as compared to Europe should take heart and not join the chorus on plastic pollution. Experts have said that plastic remains a miracle material and have manifold uses in our day-to-day lives. It is only some forms of plastic – most notably single-use plastic – that we should worry about.
“Elimination of single use of plastic is perfectly fine, but a total ban on plastic will not be good either for the industry or for the common people,” said V Kiran Kumar, Director, Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology, Vijaywada. Kumar and other experts were addressing a media workshop organised by Fijeeha, under the campaign PLAS-TIC (Plastic Targeted Information & Communication). Kumar added that the solution to problems related to plastic does not lie in removing it altogether but using it judiciously including effective waste management and recycling.
Much of our plastic waste is recyclable. According to a September 2017 report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which extrapolated data from 60 major cities, the country generates around 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste a day. About 94 per cent of this comprises thermoplastic, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is recyclable.
Shri K Venkata Ratnam, retired officer of Indian Ordnance Factories Services and a specialist in Plastic, said, “Not all plastic is bad but of late lot of negativity has spread about the magic material. This has not only affected the industry adversely but also the public discourse,” he said.
Dr Navneet Anand, President, Fijeeha said that it is human behaviour that may have given bad name to plastic. He said, “While the dangers of single-use plastics must be addressed, we should remember that not all plastics are the same. Reusable, durable plastic can be a viable, lightweight, cost friendly alternative. While the industry is worried about the hit that the ban is likely to take, there have been instances where arbitrary decisions like banning plastic tiffin boxes and tumblers by schools have added to the confusion.”
Sri V Tulasi Prasad, Vice President (Quality), National Independent School Alliance (NIAS) said, ”Many schools and other educational institutions are arbitrarily banning the multi-use essential plastic products like water bottles and lunch boxes, while going overboard the directives by CBSE/other state education boards. Such arbitrary initiatives can mislead the youth while painting a wrong picture about a critical material like plastic. Today, schools need to work on initiatives which can drive awareness amongst students on differentiation between single-use and multi-use plastics, since most of the school-going population has of late started perceiving all plastics in a negative manner. They need to be made aware that reusing and recycling plastic is the way forward to a sustainable future, and not a blanket ban on all plastics.”
Source (APN NEWS)
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