NEW DELHI: Following the ban on polythene bags, paper,
cloth and non-plastic bags are in some demand, but the cheapest option is the non-woven bag made of a material that resembles
plastic and cloth together. Though this material is not more
compostable than the banned polybags, it can be reused and recycled, and hence represents a greener alternative. Demand for non-woven bags has gone up 20% after August last year, say market experts.
Deepanshu Singhal of Bharati Packers, who had been manufacturing non-woven bags for over a decade, said, “We are getting more orders from grocery shops and small outlets. What is more, people want to get into the business of manufacturing this material.” Ritwik Singh, a trader from the Nangloi industrial area, added that the price of non-woven bags had increased slightly due to high demand.
Vishal, a street vendor in
Sarojini Nagar, confirmed that sellers were happy with non-woven carry bags because they were durable and affordable. “Municipal corporation staff roam the market every morning, so we have to be careful. These bags cost up to Rs 1.75, but are only around a rupee more than the plastic bags.”
Jute bags are catching on too. “I bought a jute bag for Rs 100 recently and I carry it whenever I go shopping,” Rama Singh told TOI at Sarojini Nagar Market. Green Bharat Ventures, which manufactures up to 1,000 jute bags a day in Model Town, reported a slight increase in demand for jute bags, but said it was no completion to non-woven bags. “Our products are somewhat costlier than the other option,” said the owner. “People, however, should know that non-woven bags are not entirely eco-friendly and contain plastic.”
Tapan Sarkar of Alankrita in Rama Park in east Delhi, another manufacturer of jute bags, put the business in perspective when he said that each jute bag cost Rs 20-30, with the high GST on jute products preventing their adoption as the alternative to plastic. “People should understand that jute can be used and reused. Departmental stores which buy bags from us give shoppers discounts if the bags are returned. This model can prove effective,” Sarkar said.
Paper bags have a restricted market because only small items can be packed into them. Chemists, for one, have taken to paper bags. “It costs as much as a plastic bag, but since medicines aren’t heavy, paper bags are durable,” testified Sunil Kumar, manager of Popular Chemists at Gole Market.
In Gulmohar Park, an environmental group, Green Robinhoods, has shifted focus to cloth bags. The child members go from door to door with bags made of discarded bedsheets and cushion covers and give them to the residents. “We have been requesting the shops in our colony not to use polybags. We have put posters in front of these shops,” said Preeti Bharadwaj, group founder. “The residents are more aware now and most of them carry cloth bags. The vegetable vendors too have begun giving out cloth bags.”
Similarly, a Mother Dairy outlet in south-east Delhi packs purchases in a cloth bag made by a housewives’ group. “It started with a small kitty party, when nine of us wanted to do something for society in our free time,” said Rachna Mathur, group head. “We began collecting old cloth from the flats and boutiques and turned them into cloth bags.” Today, the group makes up to 2,000 bags that it sells for Rs 15, Rs 20 or Rs 25, according to size.
