INTRODUCTION TO ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN
Plastic is all around us. It forms much of the packaging for our food and drink.
For many of us, it is throughout our home, our workplace, our car, and the bus we take
to and from work. It can be in our clothing, eyeglasses, teeth, toothbrush,
computers, phones, dishes, utensils, and toys. Excessive use of plastic in our day to life
finally led to the starting of the Anti-Plastic Campaign.
WHAT IS PLASTIC AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM
Plastics are Polymers, which are substances or molecules made up of many
repeating molecular units, known as monomers. Monomers of hydrogen and
carbon are linked together in long chains to form plastic polymers. The raw
hydrocarbon material for most synthetic plastics is derived from petroleum, natural
gas or coal.
EFFECT OF PLASTIC ON THE ENVIRONMENTVarious effects of plastics on our environment and society are as follows
● Plastic is pervasive.
● Plastic Pollute
● Marine life is affected by plastics.
● Marine life is affected by plastics.
● Environmental Problems
● Health Problems
Threat to marine life
Since plastic bags are not recyclable, they end up in the oceans. While they reach,
they break up into tiny little pieces and are consumed by wildlife. It is estimated that
46,000-1,000,000 plastic fragments floating within every square mile of the world’s
oceans. Due to their size, they are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and
marine life like fish, whales and sea turtles. Thereby congesting their digestive
system leads to health issues such as infections or even death by suffocation. Many
animals also get entangled or trapped.
USES OF PLASTIC
The versatility of plastic materials comes from the ability to mould, laminate or
shape them, and tailor them physically and chemically. There is plastic suitable
for almost any application. Plastics do not corrode, though they can degrade in UV
(a component of sunlight) and can be affected by solvents – for example, PVC
plastic is soluble in acetone.
PURPOSE OF ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN
Provide ways for the public to make a difference- reduce, reuse, recycle.
Inform the public with the most updated information about the anti-plastic issues
Communicate with the public one-on-one to promote the grass-roots organization
Impact on Business
India’s plastic-processing industry has over 30,000 units and an annual turnover of
Rs 2.25 lakh crore, according to the All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association
(AIPMA).
The industry also employs over 4 million people. Packaging accounts for a third of
India’s plastic consumption, according to Ficci, an industry body.
A ban targeted plastic cutlery, straws, cups and glasses, and one-time-use plastic bags
which, Miranda says, are mostly made by the unorganised sector. As many
factories employed thousands of workers, the anti-plastic campaign has disrupted
their livelihood in many ways.
As the campaign took with the wind the demand slowed down of plastic but it
has also picked up the demand for natural reusable bags for example the jute bag
etc.. which has brought back the demand for labour. But the factory owners have
suffered a tremendous loss in their business that’s because the machine they have
in their factory is used for making plastic products.
Also, many of the manufactories have moved to reusable plastics,bio-degradable
plastic and the left ones moved to manufacture natural biodegradable products.
Difficulty in Branding–
One major fact which is often ignored is that the printing cost on plastic is very
less than the cost required to print a company name, business logo and other
information on a paper or cloth bag.
Cheaper than Paper Cloth Products
The manufacturing of plastic is much cheaper than paper/jute and other natural
products because the availability of raw materials is much more accessible than in other
alternatives. Plus through the ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN, the demand for
plastic has gown down which hurt the business+losess were
getting higher so the business started removing the labour from the factory which
indeed has increased the unemployment rate.
The Impact on the restaurant industry
The restaurant who is also in the catering business has also faced the problem
because of ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN. Restaurants also pack their food in
plastic products which keep them warm and hygienic. But packing food in the paper-
like substance doesn’t keep the food hot and hygienic due to this restaurant also
lose a share amount of business
Theft
The theft of shopping carts and baskets also increases when there is a plastic ban.
People often try to avoid spending on a costlier object to carry shopping materials.
The cart shopkeeper who keeps jute bags with him also has a higher chance of the
jetting it stole because the cost of acquiring is much higher than the plastic bags.
Oil, Gas Industry
As the ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN took up with the wind the oil and gas
Companies have taken major losses because plastic is made from oil and gases, so
the demand is also going down.
The Unfair Advantage
There is a negative effect on business sales and profits from plastic bans. It
provides an unfair advantage to the people operating in a geographical area where
no plastic ban is imposed.
Bad Bank Loans
This will also lead to an increase in bterrible bad loans from the plastic sector. As the
government started taking steps in 2018. The Maharashtra government imposed a
ban on the use, distribution, storage and manufacturing of single-use plastic items
shook the entire industry to the core. The heavy fines imposed were believed to
disrupt the service to consumers.
Size and compact
Plastic bags are easy to open, pack and transport. That is the reason why they are
used widely in the logistics and retail industries. In contrast, reusable cloth bags
consume more space and are quite heavy.
Conclusion
Though recycling is the best option for plastic, methodology and systemization for
recycling are slow. While the production model of plasticity is e and
uncontrollable e, several recycling plants are flaflawlesshis vast gap must be closed. According to an international survey, around 600
billion plastic bags are used every year and, because of their disposable quality,
many are swept into rivers or drains not just clogging but eventually ending up in
the ocean.
This makes plastic bags among the top 10 items of debris found in oceans and
coastlines. So increasing the number of recycling plants is the only option for
renewed use of plastic. Besides, the plastic ban forces the customer to buy recyclable
plastic bags and reuse disposable bags. This can also encourage the reuse of the bags.
Moreover, such a ban could be complemented by ensuring that retail shop keeper
and big shopping complexes team up with plastic recycling firms and set up even
collection points for the bags which no longer be reused.
Finally, the government should educate the public and trade bodies to achieve the
benefits of the ban. Since long-term benefits of plastic bag ban use will benefit the
economy and also save taxpayer money can lead to plastic bag cleanup