Alternatives to single-use plastic costlier

• Recently, the ban on single-use plastic items announced by the Ministry for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change comes into effect.

Items banned:

• Plastic sticks used in earbuds, cigarette packs, plastic flags, candy, and ice cream wraps, polystyrene (thermocol) used in decoration, balloons, plastic glasses, cups plates, cutlery, and trays, packaging or wrapping films around invitation cards, sweet boxes, plastic or polyvinyl chloride banners less than 100 microns, and plastic stirrers.

Need to take such step:

• To combat pollution caused by single-use plastics
• 15% of plastic is burnt which emits dioxins, furans, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the atmosphere.
• To protect ecosystem from detrimental its effects
• An estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic garbage are actually floating, harming species and altering the marine ecosystem.
• To protect individuals from its ill-health effects
• Its ingestion can damage the reproductive organs, lungs, and the neurological system.
• To reduce plastic waste generation

Impact on Health:

• Affects human food chain
• May harm organs and can cause hormone-related malignancies, infertility, and neuro-developmental disorders such as ADHD and autism.
• Act as a platform for the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
• Bisphenol A (BPA) used in plastics may cause cancer, decreased immunological function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity.
• Regular incineration of medical waste containing PVC and phthalates releases dioxins and mercury.
• Long-term exposure can lead to cancer, congenital impairments, hormonal abnormalities, decreased sperm counts, infertility, and immune damage.

Alternatives to Plastics:

• Reusable water bottles and tap water to replace bottled water.
• Promote bamboo or another reusable and edible cutlery.
• Replace plastic shopping bags with reusable cloth bags
• Attach balloons with strings/holders
• Promote a smoking ban. Until then, cigarette buds should have biodegradable cigarettes and filters.
• Natural fibers can be used for sponges and dish rags with scrubbers
• Replace plastic cotton buds with bamboo or paper cotton buds that are disposable or go for reusable cotton buds.
• Use washable cloth diapers, diapers without plastic and biodegradable wet wipes