World Environment Day comes every year and most of us, like many others, pledge to keep our Mother Earth clean. But to be honest, we forget about it much sooner.
India, right now, is battling plastic pollution with all its strength but is not able to curb it as much as it is needed.
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest reasons behind the decline in marine wildlife and increase in land waste and waterways.
Plastic is such a big part of our lives in today's time that we feel it's not possible to live in a world without plastic at all. Sure, we cannot curb the use of plastic completely but we can reduce it drastically.
According to a 2016 report by Business Standard, India produces more than 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, of which 6,000 tonnes remain uncollected and littered.
Here are things you can do to do your bit and "Beat Plastic Pollution":
Avoid using microbeads
Microbeads/microplastics are tiny chunks of plastic scrubbers present in the products like scrubs, toothpaste, body washes. Due to their tiny size, these beads slip through water treatment plants. Many marine animals confuse them for food and consume them. These beads have affected marine wildlife adversely.
One can opt for natural exfoliators like salt, sugar and oatmeal instead of these scrubbers.
There are many biodegradable alternatives, so avoid items with polypropylene or polyethylene on the ingredients list or consider making your own.
Replace plastic bags with jute bags/cloth bags
You know you cannot avoid grocery shopping every other week. Keep a cloth bag or jute bag with you for these chores instead of using plastic bags which you will end up throwing in the dustbin anyway.
Stop throwing polybags in rivers in the name of god
There are many people who throw flowers, money, food, coconuts wrapped in plastic polybags in rivers like Yamuna and Ganga after performing various poojas. This is one of the major reasons that river Yamuna has become polluted so drastically over the few decades.
Cut down period waste
Switch to pads that are bio-degradable. Cotton pads help in cutting plastic pollution and are quite cheaper in comparison to the non-biodegradable pads.
Brands like Sakhi, Saathi and Suvidha sell organic pads in India.
Carry reusable water bottles
Instead of buying water bottles every day, you can switch to a dedicated reusable bottle for carrying water.
Say no to straws
Straws are unnecessary as they are not reusable, it is a one-time product and leads to plastic waste. Instead of plastic straws, one can switch to bamboo straws or biodegradable straws.
Why India needs better laws to save the environment
According to laws in India, no manufacturer or vendor can use a plastic bag which is below 50 microns as thinner bags pose a major threat to the environment due to its non-disposability.
Plastic is banned in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Karwar, Tirumala, Vasco, Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. However, the usage of plastic bags is still high as the ban is not implemented on all plastic bags.
But, there are many countries that have implemented strict rules to get a hold of the increasing plastic pollution.
For example, France became the first country to pass a 'plastic ban' law in 2016. It also has a total plastic ban on shopping bags and is the first country to ban all the daily-usable products that are made of plastic.
China instated a law in 2008 making it illegal for stores to give out plastic bags for free.
Sweden, on the other hand, is already known as one of the worlds best-recycling nations. Sweden emphasises on recycling more than banning it.