Should We Ban or Tax the Plastic Bag?
Posted by Varun | | Posted On Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 10:54 PM
This article is going to be my first eco-friendly article :) Yup! I am going to pour in my thoughts to tackle /suggest some views which can help to achieve an equilibrum in Environment!
I am not an environmentalist and nor do i have a thorough knowlegde of various methods which can help in reducing the environmental degradation. But one thing which i am sure every person sees and is aware of is Plastic and its usage which accounts for almost 30-45 % of our daily wastage. Though Plastic related items like Plastic bags have now become a necessity for man be it for shopping in Super Market or some other use. One thing which we most of them are not aware of are is the fact that Plastic is not Biodegradeable and it takes 1000s of years to disintegrate.Imagine, some years down the line, the pollution caused and amount of Plastic wastage littering in our society.
It is not completely possibly to eliminate the usage of Plastic or nor a ban on plastic usage can be proved constructive. A simple and sober solution to tackle this problem can be to have PLASTIC TAX. Government should consider this as a viable solution which in the long run can definitely prove fruitful with desired outcome.Countries like Ireland have already implemented this interesting law of Plastic Tax . Some of the Pros and Cons of having this Law Implemented in India are as follows:
Advantages of Plastic Tax:
1. Reduces costs to shops - Usually shops are reluctant to charge for plastic bags. But, if they have to charge, people will be increasingly likely to use alternatives and reuse old bags
2. Reduces Litter - Almost in all the prime and downtown locations of Chennai, the real problem was litter, 50% of which seems to be plastic bags. If plastic bag use was discouraged the amount of litter would significantly be reduce.
3. Wildlife Impact - Because plastic bags can float around they can often cause problems for wildlife.
4. Reduce dependence on oil based products. Because plastic bags are made from oil they increase our dependence on oil imports. With rising prices of oil there is an increased desire to avoid oil products where necessary
5.Tax Raises Revenue - A good source of Income for the government
Disadvantages of Plastic Tax
1. Plastic bags are useful. For example, People use them from carrying thier dog's mess to a carrying restaurant packed food. This however, is not an insoluble problem.
2. More difficult to carry shopping. Plastic bags are useful for carrying shopping, people could use reusable bags, but, there is a low take up rate at the moment.
I believe this will be a good way to start off to try to work together for Eco-Balance.
Please leave your comment on what's your thought /take on this.
Thanks, Keep Smiling,Varun
I am not an environmentalist and nor do i have a thorough knowlegde of various methods which can help in reducing the environmental degradation. But one thing which i am sure every person sees and is aware of is Plastic and its usage which accounts for almost 30-45 % of our daily wastage. Though Plastic related items like Plastic bags have now become a necessity for man be it for shopping in Super Market or some other use. One thing which we most of them are not aware of are is the fact that Plastic is not Biodegradeable and it takes 1000s of years to disintegrate.Imagine, some years down the line, the pollution caused and amount of Plastic wastage littering in our society.
It is not completely possibly to eliminate the usage of Plastic or nor a ban on plastic usage can be proved constructive. A simple and sober solution to tackle this problem can be to have PLASTIC TAX. Government should consider this as a viable solution which in the long run can definitely prove fruitful with desired outcome.Countries like Ireland have already implemented this interesting law of Plastic Tax . Some of the Pros and Cons of having this Law Implemented in India are as follows:
Advantages of Plastic Tax:
1. Reduces costs to shops - Usually shops are reluctant to charge for plastic bags. But, if they have to charge, people will be increasingly likely to use alternatives and reuse old bags
2. Reduces Litter - Almost in all the prime and downtown locations of Chennai, the real problem was litter, 50% of which seems to be plastic bags. If plastic bag use was discouraged the amount of litter would significantly be reduce.
3. Wildlife Impact - Because plastic bags can float around they can often cause problems for wildlife.
4. Reduce dependence on oil based products. Because plastic bags are made from oil they increase our dependence on oil imports. With rising prices of oil there is an increased desire to avoid oil products where necessary
5.Tax Raises Revenue - A good source of Income for the government
Disadvantages of Plastic Tax
1. Plastic bags are useful. For example, People use them from carrying thier dog's mess to a carrying restaurant packed food. This however, is not an insoluble problem.
2. More difficult to carry shopping. Plastic bags are useful for carrying shopping, people could use reusable bags, but, there is a low take up rate at the moment.
I believe this will be a good way to start off to try to work together for Eco-Balance.
Please leave your comment on what's your thought /take on this.
Thanks, Keep Smiling,Varun
