The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to ban plastic products from January 2019 has come as a shock to several small-scale plastic manufacturing units in the state.
Various stakeholders, including plastic manufacturers, retailers and hoteliers, urged the government, over the next six months, to work on alternatives to reduce plastic use instead of imposing a total ban. S. Rakkappan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Plastic Manufacturers Association, said, “Banning plastics is not the solution. Instead the State government should create awareness and study methods to rectify issues pertaining to plastics.”
“The challenge is on the handling side and not on the manufacturing side,” he said, adding that the ban would hit several small entrepreneurs hard.
“Many of them run businesses with loans from banks and private financiers. An order like this will kill their livelihood,” Mr. Rakkappan said.
According to him, there are over 10,000 units which are into plastic manufacturing, and of this around 4,000 units manufacture carrybags. Statistics from the plastic manufacturers association show that over 15 lakh people are employed in this sector, either directly or indirectly.
C.K. Mohan, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (Tanstia), said that collecting, segregating and recycling is the solution, not a ban. The hotel industry, which uses plastic plates, spoons, cups, boxes and straws, said that a total ban is not feasible. M. Ravi, president of the Chennai Hotels Association, said, “The government should come out with alternatives to the plastic ban.” Citing an example, he said, hotels can wrap idlis in a newspaper or a banana leaf but to pack the accompanying sambar, a plastic bag is called for. “A well-thought- out solution is the need of the hour,” he added.
Backing the move
Taking a different line, D. Srinivasan, president of the Coimbatore District Hoteliers’ Association, welcomed the ban. “Bengaluru has implemented a similar ban to some extent. The hotels in Coimbatore will work on alternative packing materials. We will discuss this in the association. We need to identify vendors,” he said.
Mr. Srinivasan, who is also the managing director of the Sree Annapoorna Group, said that his outlet at Coimbatore International Airport uses eco-friendly materials.
Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of the Retailers Association of India (RAI), said, “Most retailers charge customers for plastic bags. The idea behind it is if customers are charged they don’t throw it away indiscriminately. We are already working with several states on the plastic issue and we will work with the Tamil Nadu government on this and see what we can do.”
Gopal Subramani, managing director of Podaran Foods, said that nearly 70% of the company’s products are sold in plastic bottles. “We are trying to get information on the ban. We can go in for glass bottles. But washing the glass is expensive,” he added.
Most players in the local soft drinks market use plastic PET bottles. “We are yet to see what the government rule says but if we are asked to ban plastics completely, it would be a hassle for us. We can pack 500ml juice in a glass bottle. If the content is more than 1 litre it becomes difficult,” said the proprietor of a soft drinks firm.