Times of India

26 Sep 12

 

No Blanket Ban on Plastic

 

BANGALORE: Going the Delhi way by putting a blanket ban on its manufacture, sale, storage and use is not the solution to tackle the plastic menace, asserted Karnakata State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman Vaman Acharya.

"We will instead put in place segregation units, either automatic or semi-automatic, where plastic can be recycled and converted into good alternative fuel for stationary engines," he said.

 

For this, the board is in talks with some entrepreneurs who are running these plants quite successfally. "The idea is to create value for all used-varieties of plastic and making segregated plastic a source of income for these entrepreneurs”  said Aeharya.

To be run in a few units, these plants will concert the heterogeneous heap of waste into a less heavy liquid form which will be homogeneous in nature.

"Mature technology is available in the city. The need is to first ensure that plastic is segregated and made into something useful. Later we can look at improving the quality of the manufactured fuel," said Aeharya.

and made into something useful. Later we can look at improving the quality of the manufactured fuel," said Aeharya.

 

KSPCB logic

 

Given that chappals, tyres, broken furniture, bottles and cloth material like nylon and polyester also comprise plastic, KSPCB chief Aeharya said it is difficult to impose a total ban on plastic.

Even if there is organic waste thrown in a plastic bag, it defeats the purpose of segregation. Significantly, BBMP has said that the pourkarmikas will refuse to take the organic waste put inside a plastic bag. The mandate makes it essential for citizens to empty the contents of the plastic bag into the waste pushcarts.

 

KSPCB, however, is considering the viability of banning plastic up to 40 microns. Currently, the ban is on plastic of 20 microns or less thickness. Thicker plastics are more environment-friendly than the thin ones for many reasons. Thin plastic bags are quite affordable compared to the thicker ones and are therefore not reused much. Recycling the same is quite difficult given that at least 2OO-odd plastic bags need to be collected to make it one kilogram (one of the reasons why ragpickers avoid picking them up too). Also, by virtue of being light-weight, these plastic bags disintegrate fast, thereby polluting the environment.

 

Times of India
12.9.12

Delhi slaps blanket ban on plastic bags

The writer has posted comments on this article

TNN | Sep 12, 2012, 02.24AM IST

  

NEW DELHI: After a false start three years ago, Delhi may finally be on the road to being free of plastic bags. The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved imposition of a blanket ban on use, storage, sale and manufacture of plastic bags in the city.

The new ban, more comprehensive and better thought out, will supersede the earlier notification issued in January 2009 that prohibited only the use, storage and sale of plastic bags in commercial areas.

"There will be no leniency in implementing the blanket ban and crackdown on violators will be more aggressive this time," chief minister Sheila Dikshit said.

A notification on the ban will be issued soon and the government will have one year from that date to implement the ban completely.

The 2009 ban failed to make any difference in the city largely due to poor implementation. This time, the government has moved to plug loopholes in that law.

The ban has been extended to include all plastic bags, even those made of virgin or bio-degradable plastic of 40 microns or more thickness, which had previously been permitted. The only exception will be use of plastic carry bags under the Bio-Medical Waste Management and Handling Rules of 1998.

The ban now includes manufacturing of plastic bags and use of plastic sheets, films or covers for packaging books, magazines or cards.

Plastic ban: Traders say govt ignored them

"The 2009 ban did not do too well since the crackdown on violations was poor. Although a number of agencies had been authorized to take action, only the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) carried out raids. With plastic bags proliferating in the city, this action was just not sufficient," said a senior government official.

The official added that the DPCC member secretary was required to personally appear in court to file challans against offenders. "On such days, he spent his entire time in court and that took a huge toll on other work," he said.

Since in the previous order manufacturing was permitted within the city limits, these bags finally made their way to local markets. "There was also confusion regarding the kind of plastic bags permitted. In the previous ban, bags of 40-micron thickness or more and biodegradable plastics were permitted. But since there is no way of measuring thickness or assessing the plastic without sending the bag to a laboratory, we decided to impose a complete ban," he said.

The ban is also likely to be more effective this time, say sources, because it is a government initiative and not due to the high court's orders which brought about the 2009 ban. "The previous ban was imposed since civic agencies were unable to handle the city's municipal waste problem. The court said since they couldn't handle the waste, they should ban the problem issues, one of which was plastic. Now that the government is acting on its own intent, implementation should be better," said Bharti Chaturvedi, director of NGO Chintan.

Around one lakh people are directly employed in manufacturing of plastic bags and a few lakh more in selling and distribution. However, barely a fraction of them are recognized by the government since only 200-300 of the nearly 4,000 manufacturing units are actually authorized. The remaining are located in unrecognized industrial areas and function without a licence from the state pollution control board.

Expectedly, the ban has met with heavy criticism from the traders' associations, who said the government did not take their concerns into account.

"The matter is already in the Supreme Court and only the final hearing is to take place. Why was the government in such a hurry to bring about another proposal? Now that the cabinet has cleared this ban, we will appeal to the SC to conduct final hearing in the case as soon as it can," said Ravi Agarwal, chairman of the environment committee of the All India Plastic Industries Association.

Agarwal said when the draft notification for the ban was issued, the high court had said that the government will not be allowed to implement it for a week from the date of notification. "We will approach the HC in this matter now," he added.

The ban on manufacturing is what is pinching the industry. "The earlier ban rendered thousands jobless but at least the industry in Delhi did not shut down. Around 4,000 carry bag manufacturing units are functioning across the city and once the market was closed to them, they had started supplying to neighbouring states. Now, even this option has been closed," said Taresh Singh, a trader.

"Lakhs of people will lose their jobs but the government seems to have given them no thought. We will take a representation to the chief minister and ask her to constitute a task force comprising the industry and government officials to work out alternatives to plastic and formulate a rehabilitation plan," said Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary, Confederation of All India Traders.

Times View

This ban likely to be more effective

The proposed ban may well be greeted with scepticism given the fate of similar moves in the past. However, there is reason to believe that it might be more effective this time. One key factor is that the executive has initiated this ban rather than being forced by the judiciary into doing so. Also, there are no fine distinctions being drawn between plastic bags of varying thickness, which makes it easier to enforce. We hope, therefore, that this ban will be more effective than attempts in the past. Given the fact that some states have managed to do so, there is no reason why a geographically smaller territory like Delhi should be unable to make it work.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Mangalorean.com

 

Oxo-Biodegradable and Compostable bags. . . . Its The Solution!

By Goldwin Fernandes [ Published Date: September 7, 2012 ] In the wake of environment concern today, with all the hype that the media has given to the so called ill effects the use of plastic bags have on the environment, the consumers are led to believe that plastic is an evil to be extinguished. They find themselves in a position of whether or not to accept or refuse a plastic carry bag offered in a grocery store, mall, shopping centre etc. The solution to this is the use of Oxo-Biodegradable bags. Plastic made from oil , i.e.,conventional plastic bags used weren't biodegradable,but now can be made biodegradable by adding certain salts of transition metals. These bags are economical and better for the environment . They contain salts of cobalt , iron or manganese which are trace elements required in the human diet and are hence not harmful. These should not be confused with toxic heavy metals like lead , mercury, cadmium and chromium which are not used in the manufacture of Oxo-Biodegradable bags. At the end of its useful life the bag falls apart and completely biodegrades leaving no harmful residue. And whats more interesting to note is that the bag does not just fragments, but will be consumed by bacteria and fungi. When it has reached the stage of fragmentation it is biodegradable in the same way as that of nature's waste , such as straw and twigs. This process will continue till the entire bag has biodegraded to nothing more than carbon dioxide , water and humus . It does not leave any fragments of the bag in the soil (ASTM 6954-04). We need biodegradable carry bags today because tonnes of synthetic plastic waste is entering the world's environment everyday and will remain there for an extended period of time . Oxo- Biodegradable bags pass all the usual and compulsory test such as Degradability, Biodegradability and Toxicity tests carried out in accordance with the international standards laid down by American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM D6954-04). One of the benefits of Oxo-Biodegradable bags is that it can be recycled as part of the normal plastic waste stream. Apart from that it can be composted (not as per ASTM D6400), left in a landfill to naturally biodegrade or can be incinerated with energy recovery and be used as fuel. This goes to show that there is always development in the field of polymers. Environmentalists who lack technical expertise in this field suggest the use of paper bags , cloth bags or jute bags as an alternative. They are unaware of the negative effect these alternatives have on the environment. The process of making paper causes 70% more atmospheric pollution than manufacture of plastic bags . Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce and the process of making paper uses huge amount of water and creates a very unpleasant waste . It would take around 7 times the number of trucks to transport the same number of paper bags creating 7 times more cost and transport pollution . Besides cotton and paper contributes to greenhouse gases which are a main factor of the much dreaded global warming. Paper will disintegrate when wet which is not the same as bio-degradation . Paper bags are 5 times more expensive . Oxo-Biodegradable bags are certified as safe for the environment and for any food contact application . Another important feature of the Oxo-Biodegradable bag is that it can be programmed to degrade in whatever timescale required . The average life of the Oxo-Biodegradable bag is 12months , but shorter periods such as 4 months and longer time periods can be programmed during the manufacture. During this period the bags are re-used for shopping , or for use as bin liners etc. This is a popular choice of material for use in agriculture and widely used around the world. Long term re-usable shopping bags, be it cloth or jute or paper is not the answer to our problems. They are much thicker and more expensive , and a large number of them would be required for the weekly shopping of the average family. They are not hygienic unless constantly cleaned after each use . They have the highest GWP (Global Warming Potential) as per the latest report (Feb 2011) of UK Government Environment Agency -Life Cycle Assessment of Plastic , Paper and Reusable bags. The GWP of cotton carrier bag is 10 times more than that of any other carrier bag. Whilst sometimes called “Bags for Life“ they have a limited life , depending on the treatment they receive ,and become a very durable problem when discarded . Shoppers do not always go to the shop from home , where the re-usable bags would normally be kept , and consumers are unlikely to have a re-usable bag with them when buying on impulse items like clothing , groceries , CD's , magazines ,stationery etc . If people want to incinerate oxo-biodegradable products with heat recovery , or recycle them , or re-use them , then that can be done . The key point is what happens to the bags which is not collected , and gets into the environment as litter. Conventional plastic will subsist in the environment for many decades , but oxo-biodegradable bags will degrade in a short time leaving no harmful residue . It would be interesting to note that the total plastic consumption is only 6% to 8%of litter , in which plastic carry bags represent a very small fraction. The second main type of biodegradable bags is hydrobiodegradable or compostable bag . The first stage of degradation is hydrolysis. These materials biodegrade as per the specification 6400.(ASTM D6400). The life of these bags is about 1 year. The compostable technology is equally good; but a bit more costlier. The film can be composted in industrial composting (ASTM D6400) in two months to become manure and in home composting in 3-4months to form manure along with other organic matter. When the film is dropped as a litter, the film starts bio-degradation and the rate of bio-degradation depends upon the environment it attains. If the film is exposed to water and organic matter constantly it would biodegrade and become manure. If it is exposed to soil or water or sewage conditions also it can biodegrade. For a bag to be tagged as biodegradable they need to be tested and certified under certain specifications. The specifications of various countries for Oxo- Biodegradable are U.K. British Standard 8472, U.S. ASTM. D6954-04, UAE 5009:2009, France French Accord T51-808. The specifications for compostable bags are EN13432, ASTM D6400, IS/ISO 17088. There is a lot of litter today, and there will always be some litter. Hopefully education will reduce the litter problem over several generations . Action needs to be taken today to switch to biodegradable bags before millions of tonnes of synthetic waste is accumulated in the environment . Oxo-Biodegradable and compostable materials are the new materials. The new age mantra !! . Litter is the careless behavior of human beings in relation to waste disposal . In the end all that can be left to say is , nothing is as harmful as our attitude. About the Author   Goldwin Fernandes B.E., M.Tech, M.I.E.,M.I.S.T.E., F.I.V Completed Engineering in 1992, then worked as an R&D Engineer for a brief peroid. He has also 7 years of experience in the middle East before he returned to India . Since then he has been actively involved in conducting seminars at all levels and sharing information about the advantages of using various kinds of Biodegradable Bags and its effect on the environment. Material Reference Oxo Biodegradable plastics - Prof Gerald Scott. Oxo biodegradable plastics- Michael Stephans. Biodegradability of Plastics- Processes & Standards-Prof Gerald Scott. Bioplastics -naturtec

 

Rams choke

Times of India – 26 July 2012

Only plastic ban won't do, experts seek law to stop littering

KOLKATA: "Two rams choked on plastic bags and died while grazing on the Maidan a couple of days back," said Mrityunjoy Sarkar, an animal activist who runs an animal rehab centre at his Watgunge house. "I saw them dying after a convulsion during my regular morning walk. I spoke to the shepherd boy who said this was not the first time this had happened to his sheep. But these deaths never get registered. If they did, we would have had a horror story. Just by banning plastic bags below 40 microns in thickness, the authorities are making it just another bureaucratic affair, without any purpose or zeal," added Sarkar.

A senior state pollution control board scientist echoed Sarkar. "The plastic is getting us really choked and such days are not far away when life will come to a standstill because of our callous habit of littering plastic. Unfortunately, there has been no campaign against plastic-littering."

A TOI survey revealed that plastic littering is all pervasive. No road, no ground and no waterbody - including Lal Dighi in front of Writers' Buildings, perhaps the most well-kept waterbody of the city, and those at Victoria Memorial - has been able to escape the menace.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is only enforcing a ban on the use of plastic bags below 40 microns in thickness. "But who will prevent plastic tea-cups, gutka or shampoo sachets which are worse polluters? They easily slip through manholes or the concrete filters of the underground drainage system. These elements are no less chokers for drainage pumping sets," said a Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority officer.

Interestingly, however, the Supreme Court has banned the packaging of gutka in plastic sachets. Following the Supreme Court order, the environment ministry had also banned the packaging of gutka products in sachets (Rule 5 of the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, prohibits the use of plastic materials in sachets for storing, packaging or selling gutka, tobacco and pan masala). But the plastic sachets containing tobacco are everywhere in the city and there is no compliance of the central rule.

State environment secretary RPS Kahlon said: "We do not have any legal provision against plastic littering. But eventually, we have to enact a law so that an offender does not get away by throwing plastic bags and sachets. Spot-fines could be introduced to penalize offenders." He admitted that littering is worrisome in the state as it is in other parts of the country. Kahlon said that PCB is suffering from a severe man-power shortage. It is a matter to be handled by municipal bodies, he added.

"I found the mere ban on plastic bags below 40 micron thickness is somewhat untenable. Who will measure whether a particular bag is below 40 micron or not? The city has become a paradise for littering plastic wastes. There is no dearth of rules in our country. Only its effective enforcement can inculcates a habit of proper disposal of plastic waste. Littering is an offence in most of the developed countries, where penalty comes in the form of hefty fines or sustained community services or both by state statutes or city ordinances," said environment activist Subhas Datta.

In India, Meghalaya is stringent against littering. The Goa government is becoming an exception by making littering of plastic at roadsides and beaches a cognizable offence. Chief minister Manohar Parrikar himself announced it. Parrikar told the legislative assembly that the government is mulling to make plastic littering a cognizable offence by December this year and to punish the offender with a severe penalty.

As early as in August, 2002, the government prohibited carrying, use and sale of non-biodegradable PET bottles and plastic carry bags in certain coastal regulation zones in Panaji and neighboring Caranzalem and Dona Paula, while for other beach areas in Goa, the matter would be taken up in consultation with all stakeholders.

Even Indian Plastic Federation officials want stringent enforcement against littering. "Plastic is so popular because of its utilitarian value. If it is disposed of properly, plastic will continue to do good for mankind. But because of its low-cost existence in our life we tend to throw them away, without understanding its consequences. If this continues, the authority will be forced to ban plastic which will turn a huge workforce jobless," said an IPF official. In fact, the Supreme Court threatened to enforce a complete ban on the use of plastic in the interests of animals and the environment.

Ban on plastic bags, but you can carry on using them

Published: Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012, 19:42 IST
By Chaitra Devarhubli | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA


<>  <><> <>

<>  <><>    <> <>  <> It has been over a year since the state government banned plastic less than 40 microns thick. But who cares? Not shopkeepers, and certainly not customers. The banned plastic is found across Ahmedabad - at shops and vegetable and fruit vendors. Most shopkeepers DNA spoke to used the same line that demand was fuelling supply. “We can’t help it. Customers keep demanding the carry bags which compel us to keep them. Also, we can afford these low priced bags. The thick plastic bags are environment-friendly, but they burn a hole in our pockets,” said a fast-food joint owner at Prahladnagar, who did not wish to be named. Another grocery shop owner at Ambawadi Ashokbhai said, “The civic authorities have raided my shop thrice and, each time, I had to pay a hefty fine and my stock of plastic bags was seized. But such bags prove economical for us due to which they are to be found in a majority of shops.” Over a year after the notification banning the use of thin plastic bags came into effect in February 2011, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials offer several excuses to explain poor implementation. “We are finding it difficult to trace the manufacturers of these plastic bags. If the root of the problem is removed, then such bags will not be distributed. Unfortunately the bags are not branded, nor is the name or place of business mentioned on them,” said an official in AMC’s health department. AMC’s medical health officer Dr Suhas Kulkarni says they have conducted a series of raids to crack down on the use of banned plastic. “Between February and December 2011, we seized 22,540 kg of plastic below 40 microns, issued 4,616 notices and collected Rs6.56 lakh in fines. Also, a total of 47 shops, where such plastic was found in large quantities, were raided,” he said. Similarly, between January and June 2012, a total of 3,666 kg of plastic bags below 40 microns was seized, 2,130 notices were served and Rs10.08 lakh in fines collected by the health department. Recently, the health department conducted a raid at Kalupur and sealed seven shops manufacturing the banned plastic bags. Clearly, all this is not enough as rampant use of the banned plastic continues. A senior health official in the AMC says the banned plastic is rumoured to be manufactured in large quantities in Kalol. Kalol is not in AMC jurisdiction and, hence, the civic body’s hands are tied, the official says.

<><> <><> <><> <> <><> <><> <><>
<><> <><> <><> <><>

<><> <><> <><> <> <><> <><>

ESMA and bio-degradables

ESMA to promote use of bio-degradable plastic at regional plastics show

·         United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, April 24 - 2012 at 10:11

PRESS RELEASE

Plastic is a natural product derived from hydrocarbons and is as natural as petrol or diesel, argues the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA), the co-organiser of Plastivision Arabia scheduled to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from May 14 - 17, 2012.

"It is the misuse and specifically the littering of plastic which is unwarranted and harmful to the environment," said Mr. Jayesh Rambhia, President of AIPMA.

The AIPMA was making a case for putting an end to littering habits and working towards educating the public that plastics have a lower carbon footprint compared to other materials.

For example, plastic bags generate 39% less greenhouse gas emissions than uncomposted paper bags; plastic bags consume less than 6% of the water needed to make paper bags; plastic grocery bags consume 71% less energy during production than paper bags; and using paper sacks generates almost five times more solid waste than plastic bags.

"More than 90% of plastic bags or any plastic which is disposed of properly is recycled and will not harm the environment. Any plastic that does not recycle will find its ways to designated land-fills where it will eventually bio-degrade, only if disposed properly," he added.

Some argue that plastic helps the environment is several ways. After all, plastic has been used to make cars lighter. As a result, less oil is used to mobilize the cars and less CO2 is emitted. In addition, plastic containers provide safe ways for disposing of toxic waste products.

"In our society and communities, people litter the landscape with plastics. This not only creates an eyesore with plastic floating at beaches or flying in the desert, but also poses a serious risk to the environment," said Mr Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, the co-organiser of Plastivision Arabia.

Mr Midfa cited a report in the 'Community Reports' section of Gulf News dated April 11, 2012, which had a photograph of a bird struggling to remove pieces of plastic entangled around its neck. "It is a heart-wrenching sight. Had the plastic been disposed of properly, it wouldn't have caused this hardship to this poor creature," Mr Midfa said.

"The municipalities are doing their best in trying to curb this menace and the absence of awareness among the public is the main reason for such practices. The recent announcement of Sharjah Municipality to intensify imposing littering fine will go a long way in reducing littering and promoting recycling of plastic," Mr Midfa said.

"There is no point in hating all plastic products, instead we should actually hate the abuse of plastics. We should hate the way how this incredibly versatile product is made the enemy of public health and environment," Mr Midfa said.

Among the most crucial improvements in technology over the past few hundred years has been the creation of plastic. Today, plastic is used in just about everything we use, and we pay it almost no notice at all.

"Plastic is quite indispensable and there is no complete alternative for it," said Eng. Mohamed Saleh Badri, Director General of the Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA).

"We use plastic in almost everything in our daily life, in our cars, at the workplace, in hospitals. However, it is important to manage disposable plastics like shopping bags, packaging, cups and cutlery," he added.

"We have introduced a law to use Oxo bio-degradable plastic in shopping bags and garbage bags across the UAE since the beginning of 2012. Information on this, the proper usage of additives, and registration of additive suppliers will be available at our stand at the forthcoming Plastivision Arabia," he said.

ESMA will also create workshop on the specific requirements for registration of Oxo biodegradable plastic bags as part of Plastivision Arabia.

Plastivision Arabia is organised by Expo Centre Sharjah and the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Latest

Extracted from Mega Media News 9.2.11

(Low res - 320 x 240)

The Hindu

New ways to tackle plastics menace
Staff Reporter

India's approach to plastic needs to change, says expert

New methods:

Michael Stephen, technical director of d2W, demonstrating a new gadget at the workshop in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Amidst plans to rework the monitoring mechanism for the implementation of the Plastic (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) rules 1999, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) held a workshop to discuss various aspects of this legislation, and new technologies that can help reduce the impact of plastics.

Delivering the keynote address at the workshop, KSPCB Chairman A.S. Sadashivaiah said that a task force is being formed at the district-level to enforce this law that mandates the use of plastic with thickness more than 20 microns. However, he conceded that there are several “complications” even with this approach of tackling the plastic menace.

Mr. Sadashivaiah said: “We need to see what can be done to change our approach to plastics. Use of technology can make even thinner plastic degrade faster, so we need to look at a cost-effective and viable alternative to solving the plastic problem.” Out of the 3,500 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated in the city, plastic accounts for a substantial 110 tonnes, making its handling and management a critical issue.

‘Approach flawed'
Earlier, in a detailed presentation on various ways to tackle plastic, Michael Stephen, technical director of d2W, a company that deals with plastic technology, said that the decade-old rule that mandates a minimum thickness of 20 microns for plastic in India is “counter-intuitive to general discourse” on the same.
He pointed out that thinner plastic would require lesser fossil fuel and energy. “So it is strange that you should insist that what can be done at 10 or 15 micron must require more than 20 microns.”

Officials pointed out that the rationale behind this was to make it easier for ragpickers to segregate plastic, and to make recycling a more viable proposition. Mr. Stephen's presentation dealt with Oxo biodegradable plastics, a type of plastic to which small amounts of metal salt are added to catalyse or hasten the degradation process. He demonstrated the working of an X-Ray XRF Handgun, a gadget that helps determine the constituents of the plastic. OBDs have been used worldwide and we have not yet had any issues with toxicity or performance, he added.

Instablog

Sreeja, Mumbai ,1 July


Blame it on the BMC’s half-hearted efforts, the shopkeepers or the customers, it is raining polythene bags in the city. Go to any local market in the sprawling city, the banned polythene bags are there for all to see.
The local government in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has intensified its drive against the use of polythene bags due to the fear that the extensive use of the banned product may cause floods as was witnessed on July 26, 2005 in Mumbai. As the rainy season has set in, the BMC has woken up as experts are of the view that the July 2005 deluge was a result of the Mithi River, flowing through the heart of the city, overflowing because garbage had blocked the flow of water.
And to ensure the city’s drains do not choke on garbage and debris, the BMC has decided to impose a fine on people found dumping garbage in them. If anybody is caught throwing garbage in a drain, he or she will have to pay anything between Rs 100 and Rs 5,000 as a fine. For the first time, BMC teams formed in every ward under the ward officer will go around the city keeping an eye out for offenders. The amount of fine will depend on how much garbage an individual dumps. Clean up marshals will also be told to be alert.
There’s no laid-down formula to charge offenders. It depends on how much plastic they are found with. If there are 2-3 plastic bags, we charge Rs500; a big plastic bag is charged Rs100. If vegetable vendor has 6-7 packs with 600 plastic bags in each, the fine goes up.
But in spite of all the BMC’s efforts and the state government banning the product, it is everywhere in the city.There is a blame game going on in the city for the growing plastic bag menace. While the government blame the shopkeepers, they in turn blame the customers. “We are well aware of the law against plastic bags, but what do we do when customers ask us for bags. Why should we lose out on business? We are caught between the BMC’s fine and the customers’ demands,” vendors say.
Who is to be blamed for this extremely pathetic state of affairs on this grave issue?. It is sure, we all are responsible for it.But, primarily though the government had ritually banned the product to assuage the sad feelings of the people after the 2005 deluge, it never implemented the ban in letter and spirit.
The law is there, but implement it. That is the key.

Delhi’s ban on plastic bags gets a quiet burial

Hindustan Times

Avishek G Dastidar
New Delhi, May 10, 2010


Plastic bags are back with a vengeance. Shoppers across Delhi are once again going home with colourful plastic bags full of goodies that they’ve bought.

The shopkeepers have also started stocking them again in blatant violation of the plastic bag ban in place since January 2009. The Delhi government, meanwhile, seems to have turned a blind eye to it.

The latest records filed at the courts show that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) could not spot more than 115 people using or selling plastic bags in the past 15 months in this city of nearly 2 crore people.

“Enforcing the ban in shops and unorganized sectors has been a problem,” admitted Dharmendra Kumar, Delhi Environment Secretary. “We have fined a number of people but we can’t have constant policing.”

With the government dragging its feet on the ban, one of Delhi’s biggest environmental policy interventions in years—after the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas-based public transport a decade ago—has died a slow death.

While the government claimed that the plastic bags had been weeded out of malls, a random check showed markets in Defence Colony, Janak Puri, INA market, Gole Market and Bengali Market were, as expected, teeming with violators.

Apart from grocery stores and sweet shops, meat shops and fruit vendors mushrooming across localities are bringing the bag back in circulation.

The Delhi government, too, goofed up in its reading of the laws governing the ban.

Sources said the DPCC had earlier asked the MCD to fine violators as per the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. But towards the middle of last year, the DPCC realised that the MCD could not fine anyone as the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which governs the ban, empowers only the state pollution boards for the job.

Thanks to this mix up, the MCD’s citywide reach could not be utilised to penalise violators.

“The government does not appear serious about the ban,” said Vinod Jain, the petitioner who had won the long-drawn case against the “plastic lobby” to force the ban on Delhi. Traders, who circulate the bags through their shops, said the government lost out to the well-organised network of the plastic bag manufacturers.

“Every morning, delivery boys come to the markets and deliver the plastic bags. For traders, it is a matter of availability of a cheap packaging material. Where are the alternate bag makers in this race?” said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of Confederation of All India Traders, the biggest traders’ organization in Delhi.

The matter is now in the Supreme Court, where plastic manufacturers have said the ban was illegal, as the government did not carry out mandatory public hearing before the ban.

Hindustan Times

Don’t waste their efforts
Bharati Chaturvedi

April 14, 2010


The recent fires in Delhi’s Mundka plastic scrapyard and the radioactive leak at the Mayapuri scrap market are a wake-up call for Indian cities to find innovative ways of safe scrap trading.
The scrap trade in Delhi is one of the biggest and most robust in India. Before the ascent of China, in the mid-1990s, it was believed to be one of the biggest trading spots in Asia. Approximately 2,000 tonnes of Delhi’s scrap is recycled here. In addition, waste from Pune also comes here. All of this rests on the work of a giant army of over 80,000 wastepickers, over 25,000 small scrap dealers, a few thousand itinerant buyers and over 50,000 sorters and bailers, apart from e-waste dismantlers.
A World Bank estimate says that over 1 per cent of the population of a big city in the developed world comprises waste recyclers. In India, this sector, predominantly informal, works like a pyramid, with wastepickers at the bottom and the reprocessors at the top, employing over 15 lakh Indians. This is India’s recycling mechanism — driven by the enterprise of the poor who are largely unrecognised and face enormous health risks. It saves huge amounts of money for the various municipalities.
Despite the Delhi incidents, they are a city’s allies, not a nuisance and our policy makers know that. The National Environment Policy, 2006, and the National Action Plan on Climate Change, 2009, both specifically mention the importance of the informal recycling sector and urge government agencies to work with them. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report of 2008 indicted some municipalities for making their work harder instead of collaborating with them.
A UN-Habitat report released at the World Urban Forum a few weeks ago points out that informal recycling is a global phenomenon. Policies and research aside, we must work with the recycling sector because of the sheer importance of its work in keeping our cities clean and waste recycled economically. Contrast this with New York, where recycling stopped briefly because of the expense involved. Besides, there are hundreds of urban poor whose livelihoods depend on the recycling industry.
How to make the sector safe? For a start, every municipality must undertake a census, starting with the scrap shops. These shops must be licensed and trained to set up simple fire safety systems. The informal sector finds it hard to invest in fire safety systems if it’s stuck with forced “illegality.” Such shops must be helped to set up a paper trail for all metals, cables, intact items and bulk purchases made. This will help the authorities to track the source of origin of noxious items. They should also have access to authorised help to implement these and other performance standards, and to solve other problems.
But most of all, they need adequate space. Electronic waste is dismantled in the living rooms of the poor because there is no other space. In Delhi, the plots for plastics at Tigri Kalan are tiny. Expecting a scrap shop to move into these is like asking a man wearing size 9 shoes to squeeze into size 5. Besides, small scrap dealers need localised space — nearly six are required for a 100,000 population. In Delhi, the Masterplan 2010 allocates space for recycling but bans junk shops that trade in anything but glass and paper. This is absurd. How can a city indirectly ban recycling — a process the Municipal Waste Rules of 2000 mandate?
The Delhi government has to push for re-drawing a realistic masterplan that enables, not impedes recycling. Only when there is basic livelihood security, and an attempt to draw in these players participatively into their own safety, can we expect to sustainably upgrade their work and green our cities.
Bharati Chaturvedi is Director, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, New Delhi
The views expressed by the author are personal