Plastic pollution
– USHA JESUDASAN
Who is responsible for the mounds of plastic bags, food wrappings, plastic cups, bottles and cartons that pile up on the roads and clog open drains? We, of course! So what can we do about it?
Walk down any city street or village road, turn any corner, find a spot at the beach or in a park and you will find mounds and mounds of dirty plastic bags, food wrappings, plastic cups, bottles and cartons lie piled high, or blocking drainage systems and sewers. The road outside our house is littered with flimsy multi-colored plastic bags. The wind blows these bags into the open gutter. The bags collect and block the gutter which then spills on to the road. Mosquitoes thrive in the stagnant water. Pigs and rats wallow in the slime, carrying disease. The place stinks and the air is polluted. The garbage men refuse to clean the gutters… they are only paid to clear the litter off the streets! So the clutter and slime increases every week.
Who is responsible for all this litter and mess and the polluted atmosphere? We are of course! Every one of us. Although each one of us contributes to the problem, none of us is willing to be part of the solution to it. So the Tamil Nadu Government is keen on taking a drastic step to curb the use of plastics and make the roads clean and environmentally safe. The government’s desire to introduce a bill that would ban plastic bags and other plastic items is a desperate attempt to control the huge environmental and health hazards that face us today.
Despite my desire to see a clean environment and have a clean road I wonder what will we do without all the plastic things in our lives? The many uses of disposable plastic that we use everyday like gloves, pens, cups, bottles, and cans can we really do without these?
Do we see the proposed ban as a necessary measure? Or will it be fought against with passion by the plastic industry? Each year, as industry produces more and more non-essential products individually and excessively packaged in plastic, we throw away more and more trash. Plastic razors can only be used a few times before disposal, then more must be bought, making the plastic and razor industries rich and happy. Pens used to be filled with ink, today we use them, throw them away and go out and buy another one. The pen industries make a lot of money too. Many household appliances are designed to become obsolete within a short duration and that guarantees that you’ll just have to buy new ones next year.
To a large extent, our garbage problem is a result of a corporate business ethic that puts profits before people and the environment. Industry pushes the advantages of “disposability” to the public because it suits them and it pays well. The profit from disposability goes into the pockets of only a few but the hazards of disposability are faced by many more.
The proposed ban makes me realize that each one of us should develop a sense of responsibility not just towards the litter on our roads but also towards the things we buy and use and throw away.
source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/yw/2002/07/06/stories/2002070600180200.htm