According to a 2016 report, India generates 15000 tonnes of plastic waste every day. And the number is increasing day by day. The worst effect is its use in the form of plastic bags i.e., polythene. To stop it, the Bihar government is going to enforce complete prohibition of polythene bags from December 15 in the entire state. The Union government has fixed July 1 next year as the date for banning polythene across the country, but the Bihar government is going to take this step about 6 months in advance.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds,Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh, a 1992-batch IAS officer and Principal Secretary of the state Environment Ministry, said that there will be a complete ban on the production, storage, purchase, sale and use of polythene and plastic-thermocol in Bihar. Those caught using these products can be punished with a fine of Rs 5 lakh or imprisonment for a year, or both.
AN ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY
The Bihar government issued a notification for this ban in June itself. Already 70 percent of the producers of plastic-thermocol have started looking for other options. Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh informed that the use of polythene comes under ‘single use’, and it is not even recycled. It pollutes everything from land to water. This is why, this rule is being brought and will be strictly enforced.
“We are coordinating with many departments like Panchayati Raj, Urban Development and Industries. We have designated Panchayati Raj Department as the nodal department to look after the implementation in rural areas and Ministry of Urban Development in urban areas. Along with this, a task force has also been formed.It will see the work from the tehsil to the district level.”
The effect of the government’s strictness is already visible. Till the end of last year, there were about 70 thousand manufacturers of plastic and thermocol products in the state. But, in the last four months, their number has come down to 20 thousand.
WHAT WAS THE RULE TILL NOW?
Till now, plastic bags, tote bags, carry bags and packaging are required to bear the name and address of its manufacturer. Along with this, the thickness of the carry bag made of plastic should not be less than 40 microns. But these rules are rarely followed.
PLASTIC DAMAGE IN STATISTICS
How much pollution is being caused by plastic products? About 5 to 13 million plastic wastes from the world go into the oceans every year. About one million plastic bottles of water are used in a minute. Polythene is being used in abundance in many places. But polythene or plastic-manufactured items cannot be reused and are thrown away. And they do not get destroyed. In places where they are disposed, they reduce the fertility of the land. Even the seeds buried under them cannot germinate. Thus, the land becomes barren. In this way and many others, plastic is causing serious damage to environment and is a major deterrent on the path to pollution control.
