Pack-up polybag!

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BMC considers banning polythene bags

A city without plastic. There is nothing plastic about that. Can this great way of shopping become real? Can the bhajiwala keep cloth or jute bags and loan them for Rs.10 every time you shop. These returnable bags are a big hit in some markets. It does not turn the customer away because the shopkeeper does not give a carry bag. For customers it is not a forced purchase of a bag with the goods, since the bag is returnable. All in all, saving the environment costs only Rs.10. That too is a temporary expense. Not much at all for Mumbaikars. 

Despite the simplicity of this idea, response of most Mumbaikars has been luke warm to say the least. We suffered the deluge of 26/7. We are choking with overflowing garbage dumping grounds. We debate climate change and Copenhagen. We pay for tickets to concerts held for the cause of the envitonment, even participate in shows like Greenathon. We went ga ga over Al Gore and his film. But when it comes to making a simple change in our day to day life, we are utter failures. Why?

I have decided to support the BMC in its decision to ban plastic bags completely. No more debating over thick and thin, legal or illegal. The more complicated the law, the less it is likely to be implemented. If the intention is clean and clear, authorities should keep it simple. No plastic, no pain.

Author: Prachi Wagh | Published Dec 28, 2009 | 03:55:00 PM

Loves and lives Mumbai. Journalist and traveler. The city is home. It is also a way of life. The city that makes me who I am, every day, all the time....