Anti-Plastic Campaign

Campaign Background Info

Plastic bags are everywhere! Everyday, we are handed countless plastic bags: when we go to the grocery store, retail clothing store, book store, restaurants, etc. Yes, sometimes, plastic bags are convenient, as they are water resistant and light and inexpensive compared to paper bags. Most of the time, plastic bags are superfluous and avoidable. It seems as though store clerks are often eager to hand out plastic bags for any and all kind of purchases. Sometimes, a plastic bag is just not necessary for that apple you are about to eat or that soda you are going to drink right away. Here are some questions we should ask ourselves whenever we are handed a plastic bag: Do I need to take as many plastic bags in supermarkets? Do I need a plastic bag for an item purchased that is already well packaged by the manufacturer? Could I bring my own shopping bag when making purchases? Plastic bags are the cause of major environmental concerns. Statistics show that we are consuming more and more plastics every year. It is estimated that an average individual uses around 130 plastic bags per year. Most of them go straight to our landfill and a very small percentage of plastic bags are actually recycled. A reduction in our use of plastic bags is essential in solving the environmental problems stemming from them. Here are the reasons why you should limit your consumption of plastic bags: 1. Plastic bags and packaging account for a major part of our waste in landfills. More importantly, plastic bags are one of the top items of litter on our community beaches, roads, sidewalks, and vegetation along with cigarette butts and Styrofoam. Plastic

bags are light and hard to contain. Because of their light weight, plastic bags fly easily in wind, float along readily in the currents of rivers and oceans, get tangled up in trees, fences, poles, and so forth, and block the drainage. 2. Plastic bags are made from a non-renewable natural resource: petroleum. Consequently, the manufacturing of plastic bags contributes to the diminishing availability of our natural resources and the damage to the environment from the extraction of petroleum. At the same time, plastics are hazardous to produce; the pollution from plastic production is harmful to the environment. Finally, most plastic bags are made of polyethylene - more commonly known as polythene - they are hazardous to manufacture and are said to take up to 1,000 years to decompose on land and 450 years in water. The fact that plastics are not biodegradable means that the plastic bags in circulation and future production of plastic bags will stay with us for a long time: in our landfills, oceans, streets, and so forth. 3. Countless plastic bags end up in our ocean and cause harm to our marine wildlife. Many marine animals and birds mistakenly ingest plastic or become entangled and choke in plastic bags that is floating around. For instance, environmentalists have pointed out that turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and invariably swallow them. It is estimated 100,000 marine mammals die each year because of plastic litter in our ocean in the North Pacific. Land animals seem to be victims as well. In countries such as India, cows are mistakenly ingesting plastic bags on the streets as they are scavenging for food and end up choking or starving to death, as the plastic cannot be digested. 4. There is virtually no market for recycling plastic bags. Very few recycling centers accept plastic bags because they are of little recyclable value. Although your local supermarkets collect used plastic bags for recycle, very few are actually recycled. 5. On the other hand, most paper bags are made from recycled paper. There is a profitable market in paper recycling and the paper bags can be used and recycled. In addition, this promotes

"Buying Recycled" which is the only way that recycling efforts will ever become successful 6. There are many cost effective and convenient alternatives to plastic bags. Paper bags hold more than plastic bags. One paper bag has the capacity of as many as three to four plastic bags. The best alternative to using plastic bags is using cloth bags and degradable bags. 7. Businesses will save on cost in providing plastic bags when consumers use less of them and bring their own bags. 8. The international crisis, which plastic bags are creating, is indicated by the fact that most nations recognize the problem and are making strong attempts to eliminate the use and productions of plastic bags. Many countries in Europe and Asia are attempting to eradicate plastic bags. Some are banning plastic bags altogether while others are implementing a tax on plastic bags to decrease their use. In Bangladesh, plastic bags have been banned completely since early 2002. They were found to have been the main culprit during the 1988 and 1998 floods that submerged two-thirds of the country. The problem was that discarded bags were choking the drainage system. In 2001, Bombay council also eliminated the use of plastic bags to prevent them from littering the streets and clogging up the city's sewerage system. As a result, merchants have switched to recycled paper bags and litter in the city has been reduced considerably.

The Purpose of this campaign is to:

Educate public about the adverse effects of plastic on the environment- made from petroleum, creates pollution, depletes natural resources, fatal consumption by animals, high costs in the long run to clean up litter, non-biodegradable Provide ways for public to make a difference- reduce, reuse, recycle! Activism! Inform public with most updated information about the antiplastic issues

 Communicate with the public one-on-one to promote grass root organization Short term goal is to reduce, reuse, and recycle but in the long run hope to achieve a zero waste policy.

State of Anti-Plastic Campaigns

Three cheers to the recent goodwill initiative taken up Anti-plastic campaigners' group, "Blue and Green". Back-up and support from various sections of society, organization, NGOs shows the awareness of the health hazardous and dreadful consequences of using plastic. As we all know that regular and prolonged dependence on plastic by the common people pushed the plastic items one of the most polluting agent destabilizing the ecological balance of nature as confirmed in the reports of various scientific research papers. In order to cap the further deterioration of the mother Earth with abuse of plastic stuff in day to day living, voluntary awareness as well campaign by some section of goodwill citizen against the use plastic bags, is not enough to go green on the whole for any society. Overall participation by the mass both politically and socially, is the only ultimate step to check use of plastic. As a campaign towards 'Earth Go Green', in the long term prospect initiatives and effective laws needs to be implemented towards antiplastic policy by consulting, comments and views from various expertise including environmental scientists. Success stories of the initiatives taken up by local Govt. of Delhi, Shimla, Manali and Chandigarh in the northern India, in checking use of plastic bags and zero tolerance to garbage are worth enough to respect the Mother Earth. In Shimla, Manali and specially at Mall Roads, and in Chandigarh, use of plastic bags is completely banned, and if in any case, use of plastic items, is a punishable offence with hefty fine. The basic rules of civic sense is clearly notified in various public places. Any city goers or visiting tourists can easily see the Notice Board at all key points accessible to public. Surprisingly, the city's

civic rules and regulation are strictly followed by local people so also the tourists visiting the cities. No doubt that garbage/waste disposal facilities are made readily available to the public in a well hygienic manner. In fact, cleanliness drive as well ability to make the people aware in these example cities respecting and preserving the eco system are worth deserving to emulate so as to free the our city from plastic bags, used plastic bottle container of drinking water, beverages, garbage, etc.

The Law
There is no Central Law towards use of plastic in India however different States and Local Bodies in different parts of India have enacted their own laws. In Delhi State till recently, the power to challan the defaulter found distributing or using plastic bags lied only with the Delhi Environment Secretary and Chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. "This often results in a long legal battle as the case has to be decided by the court. On-spot penalty would ensure speedy decisions as well as effective implementation of the drive against hazardous plastic bags," an environment department official said. To make the anti-plastic bag law more stringent, Delhi Government has introduced The Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Garbage (Control) Act, 2000.. The Act with latest amendments envisages imprisonment of up to five years and/or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh against the violators. Since the notification of the Act, the government has filed only 164 challans against violators, mainly mall-owners and shopkeepers while three cases have reached their logical end in the court. However as there is no uniform law to tackle the problem it is required that a Central Law for effective implementation by the

government for correct use of plastic by the common people needs to address the following issues: (i) Use of plastic for packaging of household grocery items in wholesale as well as retail shops, Mall, shopping complex, show room, in public places, various markets, etc should be banned completely at one go. Strict rule/law declaring use of plastic is punishable offence should be implemented immediately. Hefty amount of fine against use of plastic in public places should be imposed effectively. (ii) In the long term prospect Effective law to stop manufacturing plastic items specially polythene bags at first hand by the small scale Plastic industries. Besides, in order not to affect such small scale industries, these industries may be given some buffer time to switch over to other durable essential plastic items like water tank, wire cables, vantilators, electrical fitting items, roofing materials, foot duster, pen, comb, button, zip, etc. (iii) Motivate the general public to substitute plastic bags by used papers, newspaper, recycled paper bags, cheap and durable shopping bags from bio-degradable organic products of various plants and trees like jute, leaves, fibres, etc need to be encouraged through various media and voluntary public campaign. In this context, development of sustainable Micro industries to produce recycled and safe paper carry bags, etc needs to be encouraged and financial support from local Govt. to run such industries. Helpful hand of private companies/enterprises and back up by advertising agencies is very essential to create awareness amongst the general public. (iv) Public awareness campaign through various media both electronic and the fourth estate not to use plastic bags on daily doze basis is very essential. Toxic character of Plastic items being nondegradable polymer compounds needs to be highlighted through media as it block the chain of natural balancing mechanism of ecosystem. (v) All institutions from grassroot level should impart mandatory programmes and co-curricular activities towards anti-plastic

campaign as part of their learning programme awarded by special bonus %age points for such activities in a calendar year. This will create an awareness amongst the people swiftly and will pave the way for next generation to make the city more cleaner. (vi) All local voluntary organizations, clubs should join hands to exert pressure on the local Govt. to implement the above criteria successfully for cleaner city as well as to create awareness amongst various leikai level at the last. Once, we check use of plastic in the city, it will have snowball effect to other districts and communities. Even chewing up some of the hot issues mentioned above need strong Political Will as well as full support from every quarters of the society. The fourth estate and electronic media need to play a pivotal role to wake up the sleeping local Govt. and the public to fulfill their duties towards anti-plastic campaign.

CONCLUSION
The most effective way of reducing the amount of plastic litter in the environment is to reduce our consumption. As consumers, we should not wait for our governments to tackle the problem of plastic bags. Change ultimately comes from everyone be it from to law restrictions of our government or from our own volition. Moreover, the most important contribution to such a campaign must come from the consumer.

The Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Garbage (Control) Act, 2000 (Delhi Act No. 6 of 2001)
An Act to prevent contamination of foodstuff carried in recycled plastic bags, reduce the use of plastic bags, throwing or depositing non-biodegradable garbage in public drains, roads river, river bed and places open to public view in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in the Fiftieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:Preliminary Prohibition of Manufacture, Sale and usage of Recycled Plastic Bags for food Chapter-IIA Prohibition Of Manufacture, Sale And Usage Of Plastic Bags Other Than Degradable Plastic Bags In The National Capital Territory Of Delhi. Chapter-III Management of Non-Biodegradable Garbage and Bio-Degradable Garbage Chapter-IV Authorization and Appeal Penalties Chapter-V Chapter-VI Miscellaneous Non-Biodegradable Garbage Schedule Chapter-I Chapter-II

Chapter-I : Preliminary
1. Short title, extent and commencement (1) This Act may be called the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Garbage (Control) Act, 2000. (2) It extends to the whole of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (3) It shall come into force on such date in respect of such sections and chapters and in respect of such persons, groups, institutions, associations and business establishments as the case may be as the Government may by notification in the official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different areas. 2. Definitions - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:a. "authorization" means permission granted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee for the manufacturing of non-biodegradable recycled plastic bags; b. "bio-degradable garbage" means garbage that can be degraded by micro-organisms. bb. "degradable garbage" means a plastic bag designed to undergo a significant change in its chemical structure under specific environmental conditions, resulting in a loss of some properties that may be measured by standard methods appropriate to the plastic and the application in a period of time that determines its classification, as prescribed.

bbb. "Delhi Pollution Control Committee" means the committee constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board for the National Capital Territory of Delhi under section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (6 of 1974) and section 6 of the Air (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981). c. "foodstuff" means ready to eat food and food products, fast food, processed and cooked food in liquid, powder, solid or semi-solid form,", d. "Government" means the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, referred to in article 239AA of the Constitution; e. "Lieutenant Governor" means the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution; f. "local authority" includes the Municipal corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council, the Delhi Cantonment Board, the Delhi Development Authority or any successor body to any of them and any other statutory authority performing municipal functions; g. "market" includes any place where persons assemble for sale of meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, food, or any other articles for human use or consumption with or without the consent of the owner of such place, notwithstanding that there may be not common regulation for the concourse of the buyers and the sellers and whether or not any control is exercised over the business of, or the person frequenting, the market by the owner of the place or by any other person; h. "non-biodegradable garbage" means garbage that cannot be degraded by microorganisms and are more specifically included in the Schedule of this Act. i. "occupier" includes i) any person who for the time being is paying or is liable to pay to the owner the rent or any portion of the rent of the land or building in respect of which such rent is paid or is payable; ii) an owner who is in occupation of or otherwise using his land or building; iii) a rent free tenant of any land or building; iv) an owner or tenant of any jhuggi/temporary structure or land or building in any unauthorized colony; v) any person who is liable to pay to the owner damages for the use and occupation of any land or building; j. "owner" includes a person who for the time being is receiving or is entitled to receive, the rent of any land or building,, whether on his own account or on account of himself and others or as an agent, trustee, guardian or receiver for any other or who should so receive the rent or be titled to receive it if the land or building or part thereof were let to a tenant; k. "pigments" means inorganic and organic chemical substances used in manufacturing of recycled, coloured plastic bags; l. "place" means any land or building or part of a building and includes the garden, ground and out-houses, if any, pertaining to a building or part of a building; m. "place open to public view" includes any place or building, monument, fence or balcony visible to a person being in, or passing along, any public place; n. "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; o. "public Analyst" means the person appointed or recognized to be the Government Analyst, in relation to any environment laboratory established or recognized in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 ; and p. "public place" means any place which is open to use and enjoyment of the public

whether it is actually used or enjoyed by the public or not and includes a road, street, market, house-gully or way, whether a thoroughfare or not, and landing place to which public are granted access or have a right to resort or over which they have a right to pass.

Chapter-II : Prohibition of Manufacture, Sale and Usage of Recycled Plastic Bags for Food
3. Prohibition of manufacture, sale and usage of recycled plastic bags for food(1) No person shall himself or by any person on his behalf manufacture for sale, sell and use any recycled plastic bags or containers for storing, carrying or packing of foodstuff within the National Capital Territory of Delhi." (a) No license, for the manufacture, sale of recycled plastic bags referred in Sub-Section I1) granted or received under any law before the date of commencement of this Act, shall entitle the holder thereof or any other person on this behalf to commence or carry on such business.

Chapter-II A : PROHIBITION OF MANUFACTURE, SALE AND USAGE OF PLASTIC BAGS OTHER THAN DEGRADABLE PLASTIC BAGS IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI.
3A. Prohibition of manufacture, sale and usage No person shall manufacture for sale, sell and use any plastic bag other than degradable plastic bag in the National Capital Territory of Delhi."

Chapter-III : Management of Non-Biodegradable Garbage and Bio-Degradable Garbage

4. Prohibition of throwing garbage, and 'samagri' (religious material) in river bed, river, public places, drains, sewer, etc. (1) No person, by himself or through another, shall knowingly or otherwise, throw or cause to be thrown in any drain, ventilation shaft, pipe and fittings, connected with the private or public drainage works and in river and river beds, any garbage which is likely toi) impair proper functioning of the drainage, sewage system and river; ii) interfere with the free flow or affect the treatment and disposal of the drain, sewage contents and river; iii) be dangerous or cause a nuisance or be prejudicial to public health; iv) be ingested by stray animals leading to serious health hazards.' (2) No person shall, knowingly or otherwise, place or permit to be placed, except in accordance with such procedure and after complying with such safeguards as may be prescribed, any garbage in any public place, river or river bed or in place open to public view, unless -

a) the garbage is placed in a garbage receptacle; or b) the garbage is deposited in a location designated by local authority having jurisdiction on an area for the disposal of the garbage. 5. Provision for placement of receptacles and places for deposit of garbage and samagri (religious material). -IThe local authority, or any officer authorized by it, shall a. provide separate receptacles/ dhallos /dustbins for non-biodegradable garbage and bio-degradable garbage for their temporary deposit, collection, and transportation up to their final disposal; b. provide designated enclosures for placing of samagri (religious material) in river Yamuna; c. ensure timely and regular removal of the contents of receptacles at all places provided by it; and d. make adequate provision of the receptacles / dhallos / dustbins whether authorized or not, to ensure that they do not become a source of nuisance and are not easily approachable by stray animals." 6. Duties of occupier of land and building -It shall be the duty of the owners and occupiers of all lands and building:a. to collect or to cause to be collected from their respective land and buildings the nonbiodegradable garbage and to deposit, or cause to be deposited, in public receptacles, deposits or places provided for temporary deposit or collection of the nonbiodegradable garbage by the local authority in the area; b. ii. to provide separate receptacles or dustbins, other than those kept and maintained for deposit of bio-degradable garbage of the type and in the manner prescribed by the local authority for collection therein of all the non-biodegradable waste from such land and building and to keep such receptacles/dustbins in good condition and repair. 7. Power of local authority for removing non-biodegradable garbage :The local authority may by notice in writing, require the owner or occupier or partowner, or person claiming to be the owner or part owner of any land or building, which has become a place of unauthorized stacking or deposit of non-biodegradable garbage and likely to occasion a nuisance, remove or cause to be removed the said garbage so stacked or collected or thrown into the river and if, in its opinion, such stacking or collection or throwing of non-biodegradable waste is likely to harm the river, river bed, drainage and sewage system or is likely to be dangerous to life and health of human beings, it shall forthwith take such steps as may be necessary at the cost of such person or persons."

Chapter-IV : Authorization and Appeal

8. Authorization : (1) Any person manufacturing degradable plastic bags shall, by applying in the form and paying the fees as may be prescribed, seek authorization from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee which may grant authorization provided that following conditions are satisfied by him or reject the application as the case may be :a. That the recycled bags would be colored and pigmented and dyes used in manufacturing of the plastic bags shall be in accordance with the pigments & dyes

listed in IS 9833: 1981. Reprocessing or recycling is undertaken in accordance with IS 14534: 1998 titled "Guidelines for recycling of plastic" and shall be marked (i) degradable recycled plastic bags, (ii) Unsafe for carrying food (iii) Name and address of the manufacturer b. That the minimum thickness of recycled bags & virgin bags shall not be less than 20 microns or any minimum thickness as specified by the Government; c. Carry bags or containers manufactured out of virgin plastic shall be of white colour. (2) the degradable plastic bags shall meet the international/national quality standards and to be certified by a Government/Government approved laboratory in the manner prescribed under the rules. 9. Appeal : (1) Any person, aggrieved by an order or direction of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee under section 8, may appeal within thirty days from the date of such order or direction to the appellate authority notified as such by the Government for the purpose which may vary, set aside or confirm the said order or direction. (2) T(2) The decision of the appellate under sub-section (1) shall be final and shall not be questioned in any court of law.

Chapter-V : Penalties
10. Penalties : (1) Whoever (a) contravenes any provision of chapter II and Chapter IV of this Act or fails to comply with any order or direction lawfully given to him under this Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to twenty five thousand rupees or with both. (b) Contravenes any provision of chapter III of this Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to one month or with fine, which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both. (2) Whoever having been convicted of an offence under this Act is again convicted of any offence under this Act shall be punishable with double the penalty provided for the first offence. (3) Whoever in any manner aids or abets to the commission of an offence under this Act shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment prescribed for the offence. 11. Offences by companies : (1) If the person committing any offence punishable under this Act is a company, every person who, at the time of the commission of the offence, was incharge of, and responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly; Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to any punishment provided in this act, if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of the offence. f. Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to any gross

negligence on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. Explanation - For the purpose of this section (a) "Company" means any body corporate and includes a firm or other association of individuals; and (b) "director" means a working partner of a firm or a Managing Director or a full time Director or an Executive Director who earns salary from the company. 12. Offences by Local Bodies : Any officer of any local body who willfully fails to implement any provision of this Act shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence under section 5 of this Act and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly. 13. Offences to be tried summarily : All offences under this Act shall be tried in a summary way by a Metropolitan Magistrate and the provision of Sections 262 to 265 (both inclusive) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall, as far as may be apply to such trials. 14. Compounding of offences : (1) Any offence punishable under this Act, may, before the institution of the prosecution be compounded, on payment of such amount for credit to the Government, by such officers or authorities as the Government may be notification in the official Gazette, specify in this behalf. a. Where any offence has been compounded under sub-section (1) no proceedings shall be taken against the offender, in respect of the offence as compounded.

Chapter-VI : Miscellaneous
15. Direction by the Government : The local authority and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee shall carry out such directions as may be issued to them, from time to time, by the Government for the efficient administration of this Act. 16. Power to amend Schedule : (1) Where it is expedient to do so, the Government may, in the public interest and in consultation with the Public Analyst, by notification in the official Gazette, add to, or omit from the Schedule any item of non-biodegradable waste and thereafter the Schedule shall be deemed to be amended accordingly. a. Every notification under sub-section (1) shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the State Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. 17. Power to delegate : The Government, may, by order published in the official Gazette, direct that any power exercisable by it under this Act ( not including the power to make rules under section 19) may also be exercised, in such cases as may be specified in the order, by such officer or authority, as may be specified therein.

18. Protection of action taken in good faith : NNo suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the Government or the local authority or any officer or other employees of the Government or of the local authority or any other person authorized by the Government for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act or the rules made hereunder. 19. Other laws not affected : The provisions of this Act are in addition to, and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time being in force. 20. Power to make rules : (1) The Government may, subject to the condition of previous publication, make rules for the purposes of carrying out the provision of this Act. a. In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing powers, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:(a) Pprescribing the standard methods of measurement of degradability of plastic bags. - Section 2 (aa) Prescribing the procedure and safeguards to be compiled with for placing or permitting to be placed any biodegradable garbage in any public place or in a place open to public view - Section 4 (2). (b) (b) Prescription of the form of application for seeking authorization and the fee payable with the application for the grant of authorization - Section 8(1). (bb) pprescribing the manner of certification of degradability of plastic bag by a Government/Government approved laboratory - section 8 (1) (d) (c) Provide for the delegation of the powers and functions conferred by this Act on the Government to subordinate officers or authorities - Section 17. (d) Provide for the delegation of the powers and functions regarding compounding of offences by the Government to subordinate officers or authorities - Section 14. (e) the matters which are to be and may be prescribed under this Act. b. b. Every rule made by the Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the House of the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive session, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, the house of the Legislative Assembly agrees in making any modification in the rules or the House agrees that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect , as the case any be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule. 21. Power to remove difficulties : (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order published in the official Gazette, make such Provision, not in consistent with the provisions ot this Act as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulties. Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act. (2) Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before the House of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi.

Blue and Green's Anti-plastic campaign

Himachal Govt

Plastic shopping bag

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

Plastic shopping bags are manufactured in various sizes and types.

Plastic shopping bags, carrier bags or plastic grocery bags are a type of shopping bag made from various kinds of plastic. In use by consumers worldwide since the 1960s,[1] these bags are sometimes called single-use bags, referring to carrying items from a store to a home. However, reuse for storage or trash is common, and modern plastic shopping bags are increasingly recyclable or biodegradable.

Contents

1 History 2 Manufacture and composition o 2.1 Biodegradable materials 3 Environmental concerns o 3.1 Reuse and recycling o 3.2 Bag legislation 3.2.1 Bans 3.2.2 Taxes 3.2.3 Recycling laws 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading

History
American and European patent applications relating to the production of plastic shopping bags can be found dating back to the early 1950s, but these refer to composite constructions with handles fixed to the bag in a secondary manufacturing process. The modern lightweight shopping bag is the invention of Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin.[1] In the early 1960s, Thulin developed a method of forming a simple one-piece bag by folding, welding and diecutting a flat tube of plastic for the packaging company Celloplast of Norrkping, Sweden. Thulin's design produced a simple, strong bag with a high load-carrying capacity, and was patented worldwide by Celloplast in 1965.

Celloplast was a well-established producer of cellulose film and a pioneer in plastics processing. The company's patent position gave it a virtual monopoly on plastic shopping bag production, and the company set up manufacturing plants across Europe and in the US. However, other companies saw the attraction of the bag, too, and the US petrochemicals group Mobil overturned Celloplast's US patent in 1977. The Dixie Bag Company of College Park, Georgia, owned and operated by Jack W. McBride, was one of the first companies to exploit this new opportunity to bring convenient products to all major shopping stores. The Dixie Bag Company, along with similar firms such as Houston Poly Bag and Capitol Poly, was instrumental in the manufacturing, marketing and perfecting of plastic bags in the 1980s. Kroger, a Cincinnati-based grocery chain, began to replace its paper shopping bags with plastic bags in 1982,[2] and was soon followed by its rival, Safeway.[2] Without its plastic bag monopoly, Celloplast's business went into decline, and the company was split up during the 1990s. The Norrkping site remains a plastics production site, however, and is now the headquarters of Miljsck, Swedens largest producer of waste sacks manufactured from recycled polyethylene.[citation needed] From the mid-1980s onwards, plastic bags became common for carrying daily groceries from the store to vehicles and homes throughout the developed world. As plastic bags increasingly replaced paper bags, and as other plastic materials and products replaced glass, metal, stone, timber and other materials, a packaging materials war erupted, with plastic shopping bags at the center of highly publicized disputes. Although few peer-reviewed studies or government surveys have provided estimates for global plastic bag use, environmental activists estimate that between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year worldwide.[3] In 2009, the United States International Trade Commission reported that 102 billion plastic bags are used annually in the United States.[4]

Manufacture and composition

Traditional plastic bags are usually made from polyethylene, which consists of long chains of ethylene monomers. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum. The polyethylene used in most plastic shopping bags is either low-density (resin identification code 4) or, more often, high-density (resin identification code 2).[5] Plastic shopping bags are commonly manufactured by blown film extrusion.[citation needed]
Biodegradable materials

Some modern bags are made of vegetable-based bioplastics, which can decay organically and prevent a build-up of toxic plastic bags in landfills and the natural environment. Bags can also be made from degradable polyethylene film. However, most degradable bags do not readily decompose in a sealed landfill[6] and represent a possible contaminant to plastic recycling operations. Plastic shopping bags could be made from polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer derived from lactic acid, although this is not widely used.[7]

Environmental concerns

According to Vincent Cobb, a manufacturer of reusable bags, each year millions of discarded plastic shopping bags end up as litter in the environment when improperly disposed of.[8] The same properties that have made plastic bags so commercially successful and ubiquitous namely their low weight and resistance to degradationhave also contributed to their proliferation in the environment. Due to their durability, plastic bags can take centuries to decompose.[8] On land, plastic bags are one of the most prevalent types of litter in inhabited areas. Large buildups of plastic bags can clog drainage systems and contribute to flooding, as occurred in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998[9] and almost annually in Manila.[10][11] Plastic bags were found to constitute a significant portion of the floating marine debris in the waters around southern Chile in a study conducted between 2002 and 2005.[12] If washed out to sea, plastic bags can be carried long distances by ocean currents, and can strangle marine animals or, if ingested, cause them to starve to death.[8] Numerous deaths among animals such as sea turtles and dolphins have been attributed to the ingestion of plastic marine litter, which includes plastic bags.[13] Littering is often a serious problem in developing countries, where trash collection infrastructure is less developed than in wealthier nations.[14] The relatively limited adoption of modern biodegradable plastic bags means that many older landfills are filled with large, persistent deposits of non-degrading bags.[citation needed] It is, however, possible that in the future these deposits could be mined and reprocessed to replace dwindling raw material resources.[citation needed]
Bag legislation Bans

Plastic bags are either restricted or completely banned in over a quarter of the world's countries.[20] Belgium, Italy, Ireland and Hong Kong have legislation discouraging the use and encouraging the recycling of plastic bags by imposing a fixed or minimum levy for the supply of plastic bags or obliging retailers to recycle.[21][22][23] In November 2011, the government of Ethiopia passed legislation banning the import and manufacture of plastic bags as part of its national green growth initiative.[24] The Republic of Congo announced in June 2011 that it would enact legislation to ban plastic bags,[25] and Rwanda has had legislation against plastic bags in place since 2006.[26] Italy banned plastic bags entirely in January 2011. In December 2009, the Tibet Autonomous Regional Government imposed a ban on disposable plastic bags "in all county seats and main scenic spots".[27] Plastic bags are banned in many other jurisdictions, including Bangladesh, South Africa and three states/territories of Australia.[28][29] In the United States, bans have been imposed at the local level, starting with San Francisco in 2007. In 2008, Westport, Connecticut, banned plastic bags in grocery stores.[20][30] In 2009, Edmonds, Washington, banned plastic bags at retail stores.[31] In 2010, Los Angeles County; Brownsville, Texas; and Bethel, Alaska, approved similar bans.[32][33] During the first few months of 2011, bans went into effect in North Carolinas Outerbanks Region, banning all plastic bags at all retailers.[34] On October 15, 2011, Portland, Oregon, instituted a ban on plastic bags, targeted at large-volume supermarkets and retail outlets.[35] Seattle, Washington, followed suit on December 19, 2011, when its city council voted unanimously to ban single-

use plastic bags from grocery stores and other retail outlets.[36] On January 1, 2012, a ban on plastic bags at retail stores went into force in San Jose, California.[37] In May 2012, Hawaii became the first US state to have all its counties pass a plastic bag ban, essentially banning them statewide. Kauai and Maui counties already had bans in place by 2012, while Hawaii County's ban is scheduled to start on January 17, 2013, and the City and County of Honolulu's ban starts on July 1, 2015.[38] Similar plastic-bag bans have been imposed at the municipality level in India, Mexico and the United Kingdom.[21]
Let us be Responsible "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi. Most of us have developed a unique habit of blaming our governments for everything that goes wrong in the environment. Why do we have to wait for governments to make laws and compel us to do the right things as citizens? We will wait for environment laws to be framed and only then we will quit the habit of saying NO to plastic bags in grocery stores! Quite ridiculous. As I have observed, our habit of shifting the responsibility to the government has made matters worse. Even if a few NGOs, environmental organizations and even the government try to work in tandem, we as citizens can be lazy or careless in assuming our true responsibility. Instead of waiting for the government to order us to conserve nature, each of us can make a huge difference, by just doing our bit for nature. You don't need a leader or a billion dollar environmental protection project to benefit nature. Just your little efforts are worth the results. Irrespective of the fact that you are a resident of Canada, Australia, USA, India, Japan or China, following some simple steps will help you become an environmentally aware citizen.

Carry your own personal bag in the market. If it is made of jute or paper, it is appreciated. Even if it is a plastic bag, you will at least not take another bag back to your home, in case you don't carry one in your pocket. Keep few folded bags in your pocket, cars, and bikes while going out. If you buy something, make it a point to use the bags you are carrying with you. Bags don't occupy a large space, they can be easily folded and kept in minimum possible spaces. Educate people to carry their own bags. Appreciate people if you watch them carrying their own bags. Don't feel hesitant to appreciate. Meeting with like-minded people and encouraging this habit will make it easier for you to spread the virtues of this seemingly small but extremely beneficial habit. Read about tips to reduce plastic pollution at home, work and during journeys. The Internet is an awesome source to find quick ways to eliminate plastic waste. If possible, give sometime to the communities in endeavors of environmental pollution control. Volunteer for NGOs, depending on your ability, education and flexibility. Believe that only a combined effort of the government and its citizens can make a difference.