A week into the government ban on single-use plastic bags and those below 75 microns in thickness, most shops across the township seem to be toeing the line. Some have switched to paper thongas, some to non-woven polypropylene bags and at least one said they were even using cartons where needed. The question now is about whether this time the switch will be permanent, or as many vendors predict from past experience, the directive will be forgotten in a few weeks.
The difference is that this time the pressure is mounting from both the central and state governments. A notice issued by Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation warns of a Rs 500 fine from sellers and Rs 50 fine from customers if caught using plastic bags of less than 75 microns in thickness.
When accepting plastic bags, check for the words “75 micron” printed on them. Brinda Sarkar
“Previously, we were mostly conducting awareness drives against the use of plastic but now the order has given it legal binding,” says Rajesh Chirimar, mayoral council member in charge of markets. “Under previous attempts, if you saw a hawker or customer using plastic bags you had to inform the corporation and they would send someone over to check some day. There was a time lag and there was no way to catch the perpetrators red handed.”
Now, he says, the implementation of the order has been brought down to the ward level. Each councillor and ward assistant has been given a receipt book to fine offenders. In fact, now even if a customer is seen carrying home a banned plastic bag on the road, he may be fined on the spot,” says Chirimar. No one, to his knowledge, has been fined yet in the corporation area but officials have been making surprise visits to markets, thereby instilling fear and caution among vendors.
A hawker outside EC Market fills a paper bag with fruits. Brinda Sarkar
The way out
Shops have switched to various alternatives to keep the lawmen at bay. Flowers are being wrapped in old newspapers, medicines in paper envelopes, saris in carton bags…
Some shops have stuck to plastic but upgraded to the legal 75 micron ones. These plastic bags usually have the words “75 micron” printed on them (see picture). That the ban has been universal is clear from the fact that not just in block markets, but even push carts and temporary stalls at the Rath-er Mela at Central Park are now using these.
The ban has also made an impact on customers, many of whom are getting bags from home. To encourage the habit, some stores at malls are charging Rs 10 to 18 per paper bag that they have to pack items in.
The bakery Kookie Jar has stopped giving out plastic bags altogether. “Some customers are cribbing but the environment is more important. We don’t know if the management has any plans of replacing them with bags of any other material but as of July we have stopped plastic bags totally,” said a staff of their City Centre branch.
Flowers at Baisakhi Market packed in old newspapers. Debasmita Bhattacharjee
Lil Champs in City Centre does give plastic bags but they are over 90 microns. “We get 10 to 15,000 good quality bags printed once a year with our logo on them. We never used thinner bags as they look cheap, clog drains, choke animals and are terrible for the environment,” says Kaushik Sarda, himself a resident of Bangur Avenue that has quit plastic long back.
When the sari shop Vermilion began business in 2004 they would give out items in cardboard packets. “We still prefer cardboard but midway we had to introduce plastic bags as some customers, particularly travellers, wanted them. They claim plastic is more flexible and easier to pack into suitcases,” says Vinita Khemka of the City Centre store. “But we use good quality plastic that can be reused.”
Not without trouble
Vendors may have made the switch but confess that the alternatives come with their share of problems. For starters, the thinner bags would cost Rs 120 per kg while the 75 micron ones cost 160.
IA Market’s vegetable vendors have switched to a biodegradable material that is thicker than tissue, thinner than cloth. “But they can’t hold decent weight. We are having to buy them at Rs 2 a piece, which is more expensive than plastic,” says Baneswar Bag. “It’s shot up our costs.”
“Heavy fruits like guavas are ripping through the paper thongas I’m using since July 1,” grumbles Nitai Mondal of EC Market. “Paper isn’t sturdy like plastic and costs more too. But both the government and customers are pressuring us to go eco-friendly so I have no choice.”
EC Market fishmongers have shifted to bags above 75 micron. Brinda Sarkar
Binoy Agarwal of IA Market’s Maa Annapurna Pure Veg Food is using 75 micron bags now and charging Rs 2 for them. “It’s working out as many people are getting their own bags from home now-a-days,” says the man who sells items like milk, ice cream and chocolates.
Ganesh Bhander of IA Market has been compromising. “I’m giving bags for free in case of big purchases but if someone buys just one or two small items, I am forced to charge them,” says the grocer Jiban Saha. “I support the plastic ban and had tried to enforce it myself earlier but customers had protested. Once the government made it official they are complying and many have started getting their own bags.”
At AE Market vegetable seller Dilip Paul has switched to the tissue-material bags. “It’s burning a hole in my pocket but I cannot charge customers for it as they will simply walk away,” he says. “Most people are getting bags from home but if these bags are made of plastic, I’m refusing to serve them. If the cops land up, they won’t believe the customer got the bag from home and will penalise me for it instead!”
Doubts about ban
The reason vendors switched so easily away from plastic is because they have done it several times before. Nitai Mondal has been selling fruits at EC Market for some 25 years and cannot count the number of times such bans have been imposed in the past. “Vendors grumble but switch to eco-friendly alternatives for a few weeks until the momentum dies. Then it’s back to time-tested plastic bags again,” he speaks candidly.
Echoing him are vendors of CB Market, hailed as a model market of New Town. Over a year ago, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) and an NGO, Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage, had jointly begun an initiative to remove plastic from its system.
A lady hands over flowers wrapped in paper at Baisakhi Market. Debasmita Bhattacharjee
For six months they handed vendors clay pots, paper bags and biodegradable packets for free, to be passed on to customers. Now customers, who want them, must buy them.
Despite a long trial run of six months, vendors say old habits die hard. “Only 10 per cent of customers come now with their own bags. Even if someone wants a single milk or chanachur packet they want it handed over in plastic. There has been no change since July 1,” says a shop-keeper at the CB Market. “Instead of pressuring vendors, NKDA should fine customers. If they stop using plastic, we’ll stop giving them. The system will weed out the evil in a week.”
Shyamal Kanti Roy, secretary of Bidhannagar Kendriya Bajar Byabsayee Samity, that comprises all 16 block markets in Salt Lake, is all for fines too. “Our committee supports the ban but we have no power to enforce it. While it’s true that the rule itself has instilled fear among shopkeepers, a few fines would make them take it all the more seriously.”
Awareness levels high
The ban has received support from several quarters, most of all, customers. “I get my own cloth bag but sometimes it falls short of space and I have to depend on bags from the vendors,” said Chhaya Banerjee, a Purbachal resident shopping for fruits at IA Market. “But I am against plastic and point it out to vendors if they try to pass me bags under 75 micron thickness.”
Sanjit Sarkar, fish seller of EC Market, says the thicker bags were costing him much more but that he had to comply as customers were now dead against the thin black bags he was using before.
“For us, even more than the government, the customer is king. If they refuse plastic, we must comply,” says grocer Dulal Pal of New Joy Guru Bhandar in EC Market. “We have switched to paper thongas of various sizes and if someone buys an enormous amount, are packing it all in cartons.”
BD Market’s grocer N.C. Das remembers plastic bans being imposed and then forgotten multiple times before. “But this time the difference is public support. People are averse to the thin bags now so this ban has a good chance of being successful,” said the man behind Raghunath Pan Bandar.
The BC Block-based social group Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) Social Service Association has been busy putting up banners outside markets and at Islands, asking people to say no to thin plastics. “We started this drive just before the government ban but with the timing coinciding the effect will be all the more fruitful,” said Aloke Kumar Datta, secretary of the body.
Other forms of plastic
Bags are not the only kind of plastic polluting our environment and Chirimar has begun a study to determine the types of plastic that make their way into our trash. The study is taking place in the planned areas of ward 39 (BA, CA, CB, DA, DB, EA blocks).
“Thus far we have found plastics to comprise 25 to 35 per cent of trash and it is primarily bottles, food containers from restaurants and milk pouches. The study will conclude on July 11 after which we will have an exact picture,” said Chirimar, who is also the local councillor.
The purpose of the study is to determine the kind of plastic shredder machine they should install. On World Environment Day on June 5 Chirimar installed a plastic bottle shredder outside CA Market and MLA Sujit Bose has committed funds to set up another, larger one in the ward.
“Based on the survey, we shall get a machine that shreds everything from soft plastic water bottles to hard shampoo bottles. We may need a different machine for milk pouches and carry bags as the flimsy texture of their plastic may entangle blades of regular shredders. The study will help us judge the volume of plastic generated and hence the capacity of the machine to procure,” he said. Shredding plastic eases the process of recycling it.
Additional reporting by Debasmita Bhattacharya
Plastic basics
⚫ Under 75 micron bags (now banned)- Rs 120/ kg
⚫ 75 micron bags- Rs 160/ kg
⚫ Biodegradable tissue-type bags- Rs 2/ piece
⚫ Paper thonga- Rs 50-70/80 pieces