[Lt_Apple]

The supreme court on Monday said the threat of plastic bags, which is choking lakes, ponds and urban sewer system, is bigger than the atom bomb for the next generation.

The Times of India - Indian Newspapers in English Language from six editions.

[MannoFr]

I always thought, all indian households used cloth bags for shopping and cloth towels for house-cleaning,
and they regularly wash them and re-use them.

When did this threat happen? Did NRIs visiting from other countries bring those plastic bags with them?

[Lt_Apple]

Plastic started with milk satchets..Then moved to marriage gift bag (Tamboola pai)...The shift got stronger with plastic replacing the traditional cotton bags used in provision stores...Even the ubiquitous glass bottles in the Kitchen got replaced with PET (Plastic)..In the house hold the Sombu made of Ever silver or Copper got replaced with plastic mugs...It became a fashion to have plastic items at home (plastic chairs, stools) replacing wooden items....We use it in food packaging too replacing the banana leaf...Understand in the last 50 years plastic production has increased 20 times...
Most of the plastic waste gets untreated & chokes the drainage...It is a real eye sore in in even the smallest village when we are unable to treat it...Or it suffocates the water mass of oceans, rivers and lakes...The sperm count reduction in Men is also attributed to plastic consumption

[MannoFr]

I have read a story in WALT DISNEY comic where an indestructible glass door

would be used to seal the money bin of Uncle Scrooge.

NOTHING could break it!

It could not be broken, or shattered, or melted or destroyed in any manner.

Plastic is a similar product. It comes in many forms, shapes, sizes and gauges

but the fundamental property of indestructibility remains the same!!!

[radikal]

While I am aware of the dangers of Plastic, as also its indispensability,
I would like to draw the attention of the readers to Potteries. Would we have known about the history of Harappan culture etc, but for th indestructability of baked clay?. The real danger of plastic is in the thin varieties used commonly for shopping and then thrown out, which are consumed with the food stuff by other animals like cows and birds, which cause their death and in some cases capacity for reproduction.
Regards, Ramanathan.

[MannoFr]

Ref: Last line of post # 3.

The ONLY advantage of plastic might be 'Human population control'!!

[Big A]

Ref: Last line of post # 3.

The ONLY advantage of plastic might be 'Human population control'!!

You are right...its sometimes made of latex or polyurethane or polyisoprene.

[NeroASERCH]

I expected Renu to answer like this!

[radikal]

I expected Renu to answer like this!

Actually I was planning to type the C word but I thought its better left to imagination!!LOL

[TorryJens]

Now a days in many shops products are given in plastic bags after charging some nominal amount. But this will not reduce the consumption of plastic bags, instead they should give it in papaer bags even it is priced more. I remember in those days 1970 to 1980 we used to purchase provisions in nattan kadai where they used to pack the provisions in papers only and to carry stainless steel vessels for sambar/chatni/kurma in hotels. If you are aware in those days we used to have kooja in houses which will be used to carry coffee/tea/milk etc. Now everything is supplied in plastic bags/plastic cups.

[Peptobismol]

Ref: Last line of post # 3.

The ONLY advantage of plastic might be 'Human population control'!!

It was regarding consumption , what if it creates disabled/dysfunctional population??

We have similar dangers from nuclear industry, pesticides, other chemicals, automobiles, electronics etc.

All these poison our basic existence - Water Pollution, Air Pollution and hence Food Pollution.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Now a days in many shops products are given in plastic bags after charging some nominal amount. But this will not reduce the consumption of plastic bags, instead they should give it in papaer bags even it is priced more.

Exactly, while discussing these issues, people should suggest various better options to follow. People should often share their lifestyle changes they have recently made to become healthy and make the world green.

[Fegasderty]

It was regarding consumption .........

I too meant the same, Sir.

[TorryJens]

I too meant the same, Sir.

Dear RR Ji,

You didnt mean using it for Birth Control?
I was thinking you were talking about the usage of Polyurethane in the production of Condoms!!LOL!!

Cos that's one advantage of Polyurethane... to control the population.

[Drugmachine]

Dear Renu,

If men consume food stored in plastic containers, then too population will be controlled!!

[9mm_fan]

What is the alternative? Not in sight.

Want to bring sugar, floor etc in paper bags? How do you pack 10 kg of floor in a paper bag? Give me a paper strong enough to hold 5 kg of sugar, I will not not a plasic packing. Give me light weight, break proof glass bottles, I will never touch a PET bottle. Give me a non creaking, no peeling of varnish, light weight chairs, I will go for wooden chairs. Any takers?

[LottiFurmann]

What is the alternative? Not in sight.

Want to bring sugar, floor etc in paper bags? How do you pack 10 kg of floor in a paper bag? Give me a paper strong enough to hold 5 kg of sugar, I will not not a plasic packing. Give me light weight, break proof glass bottles, I will never touch a PET bottle. Give me a non creaking, no peeling of varnish, light weight chairs, I will go for wooden chairs. Any takers?

For heavy weight cotton bags can be a solution...Most of the malls have started to give only cloth bags...I remember the TUCS bag which in the 60's & 70's for carrying all the provisions home

It also requires lot of education & also good enforcement...But the petty shop keepers, cart wallahs are continuing to pack items in the plastic bags... In India nothing works unless you start imposing penalty...

[tgs]

.But the petty shop keepers, cart wallahs are continuing to pack items in the plastic bags... In India nothing works unless you start imposing penalty...

Dear sir,

Cotton bags are more expensive than plastic bags.So small scale traders have no choice but to use them.
Imposing a penalty does not really help to implement any rule..it only opens the door for corruption.

Paper bags only help the environment if its recycled.Otherwise whats the difference if we are going to cut down trees to make more paper.

Recycling of anything should be an option.

[LottiFurmann]

For heavy weight cotton bags can be a solution...Most of the malls have started to give only cloth bags...I remember the TUCS bag which in the 60's & 70's for carrying all the provisions home

It also requires lot of education & also good enforcement...But the petty shop keepers, cart wallahs are continuing to pack items in the plastic bags... In India nothing works unless you start imposing penalty...

Cotton bags are costly, and traders do charge for them, plastic bags ARE free.

10 kg floor in a plastic bag is safe from moisture and pests. Are bags of cloth too like that? Lot of grain just rots because it in gunny bags. Do you want us to go to 60s, when lanterns were the only source of light? Then, cotton too is manufactured from trees and so is paper.

Haha. Can you pack your curd rice in a newspaper bag? Try it. Also try a cloth and brown paper bag. You can say use banana leaves. But India is large, with large demands. Such leaves cannot meet the demands unless vast tracts of lands are devoted to bananas ONLY.

What about the packaging by manufacturers?

PS: Plastic sheets can line canals. Try it with paper and cloth.

[PhillipHer]

Cotton bags are costly, and traders do charge for them, plastic bags ARE free.

10 kg floor in a plastic bag is safe from moisture and pests. Are bags of cloth too like that? Lot of grain just rots because it in gunny bags. Do you want us to go to 60s, when lanterns were the only source of light? Then, cotton too is manufactured from trees and so is paper.

Haha. Can you pack your curd rice in a newspaper bag? Try it. Also try a cloth and brown paper bag. You can say use banana leaves. But India is large, with large demands. Such leaves cannot meet the demands unless vast tracts of lands are devoted to bananas ONLY.

What about the packaging by manufacturers?

One more important point is taking out household garbage.
How are we going to make do without plastic bags to take out garbage.
Plastic is also used extensively in the medical field in some of the water proof bandages and plasters,disposable syringes etc and used as the basal layer of sanitary pads.

So I guess plastic is here to stay.