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a speech on 'say no to polybags'.

Say 'No' To Polybags

[ Government of West Bengal on 5th September has issued directions to ban polybags in ecological sensitive areas and restrict them elsewhere in the state. ]

Polybags served us well. Light, cheap, non-tearing and waterproof, as carrybags offered by shopkeepers they freed us from carrying cloth, jute or nylon bags. Polybags harmed us more. Millions and millions of polybags, with a uselife ranging from a few minutes to a few hours, are thrown away to clog drains and choke soil. They cause food contamination and animal deaths. Pollution in manufacture and disposal are added attributes.

Different state governments and municipalities have already taken efforts to restrict, contain and eradicate this menace. Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu are notable examples. In West Bengal DISHA along with other organizations and concerned people including those of the hill areas and members of municipalities had been raising the issue and demanding action from the authorities.

DISHA thanks the governmental authorities and demands strict implementation of the directions. At the same time DISHA implores all the concerned organizations and people in the state to generate peoples' awareness and function as watchdogs. Environmental protection measures cannot work without social monitoring.

Discard Polybags And Plastic Cups - Save Sewerage, Save Environment

What Is Wrong With Polybags?

Choked Drains: Light polybags settle in the drains. They choke gully pits. Cause backflow and waterlogging. They get into storm water pumps and damage them. Polybag induced waterlogging triggers off landslides in the mountains.

Choked Soil: Millions of polybags settle in the soil. They are non-porous and non-biodegradable. They obstruct free flow of water and air. Thus they choke the soil and suffocate plant roots. Toxic chemical additives leach into the soil. Soil quality degrades.

Animal Deaths: Cows foraging dustbins eat polybags and die. Ingested polybags block their intestines. Toxins released from polybags also harm animals that eat those. Polybag also harms marine animals through ingestion.

Food Hazards: Chemicals used to manufacture polybags can leach out into food products stored in them and thereby reach our systems. The two commonly used dyes in plastics are lead - a known neurotoxin and cadmium - a nephrotoxin. Other additives used are toxic as well.

Mosquito Breeding: Stray polybags act as receptacles of water, sufficient enough for mosquito breeding.

Limited Recyclability: Plastic recycling is linear, not cyclic - i.e. plastics degrade on recycling. Thus more and more fresh plastic is required creating more and more waste at the end of the line. Besides, stray polybags, thin and dirty as they are, are not lucrative enough for the ragpickers to collect.

Polluting Industry: Manufacture of polybags, mainly done in small moulding shops, with no environmental standard involve hazardous materials and emit obnoxious gases posing serious problems first for the workers and then for the neighbourhood.

Disposal Hazards: If disposed through landfills, polybags continue to pollute soil for many years. If burnt they emit hazardous gases that pollute the air. Directions Issued By The Government Of West Bengal On 5th September 2001 Widespread use of plastic carrybags is damaging our environment. It has become necessary to restrict this use. Implementation of this restriction has been contemplated in three stages:- 1. A total ban on the use of plastic carrybags from 15th September 2001 in the hilly areas of Darjeeling district, entire Sundarban areas, coastal regulation zone areas (Digha, Sankarpur, Frazerganj, Sagardwip, Bakkhali etc.), entire forest areas of West Bengal. 2. Ban from 15th September 2001 on the use of coloured plastic carrybags of less than 20-micron thickness in Kolkata and Bidhannagar municipal areas. 3. Ban on the use of all plastic carrybags of less than 20-micron thickness in the entire state from 1st December 2001.

DISHA's Effort

  • DISHA lodged complaints with the state department of environment and pollution control board in October,2000.
  • DISHA discussed the problem in detail with officials in the department of environment.
  • DISHA compiled information and documents on the problem.
  • DISHA was entrusted by the department of environment with an area specific assessment of use of polybags and campaign to restrict it.
  • DISHA started the assessment and campaign at Kolkata, Digha, Durgapur and Kurseong with network partners Chetana - Hatibagan, Digha Sports And Cultural Association, Peoples' Science and Cultural Forum - Durgapur and Society For Environment Education And Development - Kurseong.
  • DISHA had a detailed discussion with the Principal Secretary, Department of Environment on the possibilities of measures to restrict polybags on 7th August 2001. It was ensured that the proposal for strict implementation and notification for banning polybags of less than 20-micron thickness throughout the state as well as banning all kinds of polybags in ecologically sensitive areas would be considered.

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Plastic is an environment Hazard. Polythene bags are polluting, land, water, and air because they are non- biodegradable. A plastic bag if buried in soil will remain there intact even after hundreds of years. Plastic is impermeable to water and air. Hence water cannot percolate down the plastic sheet and it also deprives the soil of the oxygen. Thus it deteriorates the fertility of the land. Plastic is lighter than water and floats on the its surface. It stops mixing of vital Oxygen from air to water. It is lethal for aquatic life. Plastic can neither melt in water nor degrade in soil. It is very difficult to get rid of it. Even burning causes air pollution as many poisonous gases are produced in the process. Thinner than 5 micron plastic bags are especially harmful because if they are mixed in the soil, they cannot be picked. We must ban its uses.  
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