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POINT: Plastic are not biodegradable
- hence threat to environment
Counter Point:
- Other materials like metal and glass are also not biodegradable
- Composite containers like plastic coated paper cups, tetra
packs & bricks also do not biodegrade easily (additional
penalty - not recyclable / harmful leachates)
- Biodegradation in buried land fills is a very slow process
(more than 15 years)
- Anaerobic conditions / methanogenic bacteria
- Newspaper / telephone directories found in landfills even
after 40 years.
- Perishable product like waste food, raked leaves and lumber
found in landfill even after 25 years.
Misinformation campaign misleads the public.
POINT: Plastic are not biodegradable
- hence threat to environment
Counter Point: Plastics are
100% recyclable via various routes :
- Industry has already undertaken R & D on bio-degradeable
applications (eg. Starch Based Mulching films) in specified
areas.
Bio degradation is not economically viable for most applications.
Solution lies in reuse & recycling into extended life
cycle products.
POINT: Plastic wastes are
eco-hazardous
Counter Point:
- Plastics are crushable and highly compactible; they occupy
less space in land fills.
- Plastic wastes are predominantly eco-neutral (no leachates
to contaminate soil / ground water.
- Plastic wastes contribute to increasing calorific value
of municipal solid waste for incineration (useful source
of energy 8-9 GJ/T 20 GJ/T (in W.E. plastic wastes provide
30% of energy generated in MSW recovery plants).
- Plastic films & sheets are used for protective lining
of hazardous/chemical landfills to protect surrounding soil
& ground water from serious contamination. Misinformation
campaign misleads the public.
Plastics have become important material of construction in
environmental engineering.
POINT: Paper & cloth bags
are better alternatives than plastic bags
Counter Point:
- If plastic bags / packaging is replaced with traditional
materials like paper, cloth, jute, metal, etc., it would
lead to a major penalty on the economic system
- 4 Phenomenal increase would be affected in increase of
| Weight of packaging |
~300% |
| Volume of waste |
~160% |
| Energy Requirement |
~110% |
| Cost of Packaging |
~210% |
Hence, there are no eco-viable alternatives to plastics in
modern society
POINT: Paper & cloth bags
are better alternatives than plastic bags
Counter Point:
- Paper is not eco-friendly
We need to remind ourselves that making of paper and products
consumes a lot of chemicals and requires a large amount
of water and effluent problems are severe. Besides paper,
unless coated with polymeric materials (or wax), cannot
withstand wet conditions which are widely prevalent in India,
particularly during monsoon periods. Paper making also consumes
a lot of energy. In the Indian context the most serious
problem is the availability of pulp. Environmental degradation
has unquestionably occurred due to pulp manufacturing activities
as commercial forestry, on large scale, is still a taboo.
Padmabhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma (FRS)
Padmabhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma (FRS).
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