The Ban on Single-use Plastic

Dr. Asangba Tzudir

 

The total ban on single-use plastics in Nagaland by the Government will come into effect from September 18, 2019. This ban is enforced with the larger objective of eradicating the menace of plastics and the serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by rampant use of plastics.


The mass production of plastic began sometime in the 1950s and being non-degradable, just about every piece of it is still present either in use, in a landfill or underneath the earth or floating in the ocean. Thus, besides the harmful effects on humans because of our own doing, we also need to spare a thought for the million birds that die every year from plastic ingestion. Over 100,000 marine mammals are also killed by plastic pollution annually. Just some months ago a beached whale in Norway had to be euthanized due to the 30 plastic bags and other garbage that had filled its stomach.


The rate of dumping of plastic on a global scale is such that by 2025 there will be 8 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans. Garbage and dumping have literally thrashed the environment due to convenience, habit and largely ignorance about where the garbage and plastics end their journey. Though belated, it is time to reverse the acts in order to create a big impact on our surroundings and the environment at large. 


The same poly bags that carried our stuffs and vegetables look nauseating after it is disposed in various ways in the open while also polluting the environment, and hopefully with the enforcement of ban, the sight of plastics strewn everywhere will become a thing of the past. 


The ban should not be seen as a worrying factor because in spite of our daily dependence on single-use plastic, we are also not short on alternatives and which simply calls for a change in attitude and lifestyle. 


There is an easy way to reduce one’s dependence. The way out is to pause for a while and reflect on the times where you find yourself with plastics, so also the alternative that you will be doing after the ban on plastics. Post the ban, such a reflection might help one become more conscious about activities related to shopping, consumption and disposal.


To be free of single-use plastic means a drastic change on our attitude and lifestyle, and this call for adapting to a day to day lifestyle without single-use plastic. In context, the implication of the ban is simply to stop using single-use plastic, and therefore avoiding its use is much easier as compared to those who are at the heart of plastic business.  

 

(Dr. Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)