Polythene bags must be banned!

Polythene bags must be banned!

Introduction

Even though a ban on usage of plastic bags was imposed, it has not yet been implemented in a true sense. Today, use of plastic bags is one of the severe issues that the citizens are facing in their day to day life.

A polythene bag is a type of container which is made up of thin, flexible or plastic textile. Most of the cities in India have banned the use and sale of polythene bags which has a thickness less than 50 microns.

But does a ban on the use of polythene bags has any disadvantages? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of banning the polythene bags in the country.

Advantages

Prevent a threat to the aquatic animals – Polythene bags often end up in seas, which is a home to many aquatic mammals and fish. Marine animals such as Leatherback sea turtles misunderstand these bags as jellyfish and consume them. They enter the digestive track of these animals and pose a great threat to their life. Banning the use of polythene bags can prevent such a threat.

Great waste – Polythene bags use around 10% of the world's annual oil supply. Of this, only 3.5% of the oil supply is recycled. It indicates that many of the precious natural resources are being utilized to create a polythene bag but it is not properly maintained by the humans. The chemicals that are used to make a polythene bag can be used more effectively if a ban is imposed on the use of these bags.

Non biodegradable – Plastic bags take centuries to decompose. As they do not degrade, they remain a dump forever. If they enter the stream or a water body, they can be a severe threat to the lives of the aquatic animals as well as the residents who consume the water from that particular water body . The only way to stop their accumulation is by imposing a ban on the sale and use.

Keeps the street clean – In a country like India, people do not have the courtesy to throw away the waste in a bin. Once used, the polythene bags are not only thrown in the landfill sites but also into the streets. A lot of accidents take place due to the polythene bags which are disposed on the streets. Polythene bags should be banned and they should be replaced by cloth bags so as to keep our streets neat and clean.

Spreading awareness – Banning the polythene bags will not only keep our environment but also send a message across to the whole world about the importance of environment protection.

Improved technology and boost to other other business – The technology would improve with a ban on use of polythene bags. People would manufacture newer and more sophisticated bags. The manpower from the polythene manufacture factories can help in making more greener and eco-friendly materials.

Disadvantages

Causes expenses – The banning of the polythene bags will lead to people having to pay to carry their purchases out of the store. The cost of manufacturing polythene bags is cheap and thus, the supermarkets provide free polythene bags. If these bags are banned, then the supermarkets would impose a charge on the carrier bags.

Making other products – People do require polythene in their day to day life. We use plastics to make different toys, containers and many other needful things. Plastic is a very useful substance.

Loss of employment – The polythene industry is one of the largest industries in India. There are factories which produce these bags and distribute them across the nation. These days, it is getting extremely difficult for the factory workers to get a job and imposing a ban on use and manufacture of polythene bags would make it more difficult for them to get a job.

Can be recycled – Most of the people do re-use their plastic bags. Some use them on their future shopping trips whereas some people send these bags to recycle centers.

Fall in the sale of vendors - The vendors often complain that "those who provide polythene bags are the ones to get the sale". If some people follow this ban, their sale would go down which is unfair.

Conclusion

Though the cost of manufacturing polythene bags is low, it comes along with a severe threat to the environment and human beings.

The use and sale of polythene bags should be banned in the country. India does not have a proper recycling system and thus, the use of re-cycled bags can cause harmful diseases such as cancer etc.

Instead of plastic bags, people should prefer cloth bags, which are being widely popular these days. They are considered to be safe and important by the environmental supporters. The government should implement severe punishment for the people who promote the use of plastic bags.