Page 7 - Plastcs News January 2019

THE PRESIDENT
THE PRESIDENT SAYS SAYS

Banning ‘Plastics’ is not the solution

ow a days Indian Plastic industry, especially packaging industry is going through a tough
Nphase. Plastic is an eco-friendly product, which is safe guarding the ecological balance
of the globe. In my opinion, Plastic is a greatest and major achievement of Human. Right
from packaging to Aeronautics, it is used each and everywhere. It is very difficult to imagine
a Plastic free world.

The quantum of paper required for packaging needs of the globe is enormous and the world
greenery will completely vanish in no time. Similarly the requirement of Furniture industry
and other industries, where Plastics has replaced precious conventional products. Plastic is
revolutionary product, which is giving a major economic thrust to the Global economy. However
Negative Publicity and Negative marketing have become major threats to this versatile and
eco-friendly product.

Yes, it is agreed that the life span of Plastic is very high and it is not a degradable product. JAYADEV MEELA
Having greater life span is a major advantage for any product, however in Plastics, especially
in Plastic packaging, it has become a major disadvantage. Who is the culprit? We ourselves
are following wrong disposal mechanism and blaming a very good product. Everyone is missing
this simple logic. Banning any product is not the permanent solution. It is better to develop
an alternate product and the newly developed product itself will replace the old product in
an automatic manner. The same phenomenon can be observed in many products. Plastics itself
is a very good example for replacing conventional products.

Recently I came across with a video of Sri Nitin Gadkari ji, Minister for Road Transport &
Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in the
Government of India on Technology utilisation in Waste management. As rightly said by him,
the cost of Road laying can be reduced by using the Waste management of Plastic by effective
disposal. He emphasized on value creation for the waste materials by using technology, so
that the waste can be treated as a wealth and thereby we can achieve a Swachh Bharat and
Waste to Wealth.

The Government, Administration, Govt. aided Research institutes must work together to
develop an economic and viable technology to address the Plastic waste, in any manner i.e.
whether it is a municipal solid waste or mix of organic and other wastes, so that this versatile
and eco-friendly product cannot be branded as an environmental threat product and cannot
be banned. And the Government must emphasise on Waste disposal in an effective manner. In
my opinion, if the State and Central Governments and Local bodies put the same efforts on
educating people on Plastic Waste management against what they are putting on banning the
Plastics, the results will be much more encouraging.

Jayadev Meela
president@aipma.net

7 Januar y 2019 Plastics News