Now, if one goes shopping at any mall in India and wants a polythene bag to carry his stuff, he has to pay for the bag. A new initiative to reduce or curb the use of plastic. The price to be paid for the bag varies from city to city, area to area and mall to mall. A few out of many, carry their own bags and don't go for the plastic ones. But many still get the plastic bags. Some feel proud doing that. May be it gives them a feeling of being richer and able to afford these upcoming luxuries.
The additional revenue generated from sale of the plastic bags would definitely be a good amount. Now, if that amount is either forming a part of the Income Statements of the malls/shops, the whole initiative is in vain. It won't serve any purpose. Ideally, the income so generated should form part of a National Reserve speacially created for this purpose. This reserve should be used to build waste disposal plants, or some polythene recycling units or something like that. But something like that to happen, doesn't sound cool in here.
So now, there is one more item to be billed; and the bags are still there to be filled.
The additional revenue generated from sale of the plastic bags would definitely be a good amount. Now, if that amount is either forming a part of the Income Statements of the malls/shops, the whole initiative is in vain. It won't serve any purpose. Ideally, the income so generated should form part of a National Reserve speacially created for this purpose. This reserve should be used to build waste disposal plants, or some polythene recycling units or something like that. But something like that to happen, doesn't sound cool in here.
So now, there is one more item to be billed; and the bags are still there to be filled.
Hmm.. This is one way to look at the problem... Be careful not to stand a moral high ground and look down on people who are willing to pay for those bags ! There will still be situations when bags will be needed , one needs to acknowledge it ...The assumption that eliminating use of plastic bags is the solution to this problem..therefore, charging for bags may be an interim measure , but not be the solution...What's needed is a strategy to find the solution, and the effort to communicate and take all people along on the journey to the final solution...
ReplyDeleteSorry, I end up writing another blog in the comments . Appreciate your effort and courage to voice your opinions ... keep going !
Thanks :) and I appreciate your comments.
ReplyDeleteIn US some shops give you incentive say 5 cents for a bag if you don't use their bag. I see many people carry their own bag. Not all stores charge for using the bag though. But again they do keep recycling bins for the bags so at least parts of the bag get recycled.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is not all bags can be recycled which leaves the conservative user with the approach of not using the bag. I myself do not like the option of using paper bags too as even that needs tree cutting.
Hope people themselves decide a better option and make sure they think of mother earth before putting more things to garbage...