Plastic pandemic

KOCHI: When Covid hit, many developmental and social initiatives came to a standstill. The drive to eliminate plastic waste was one of them. When raids and inspections took a back seat, plastic carry bags resurfaced in every nook and corner of the city, and violators started flourishing unchecked. Now, Kochi’s roadsides, drains and canals are fast filled up with plastic waste, and authorities concerned are blaming the public’s attitude and ignorance for this. 

According to an official with the District Suchitwa Mission, plastic constitutes seven of the 178 tonne of non-biodegradable waste generated daily in the district. “There are polythene bags to PET bottles,” said the official. 

P H Shine, district coordinator of Suchitwa Mission, Ernakulam, says the only way out of this crisis is public awareness. “Before the pandemic onset, we used to conduct systematic raids and inspections to book the violators. But with the pandemic looming large, everything came to a standstill. Even the shopkeepers are helpless, they have to cater to the needs of their customers. If people come in without carrying bags, the shop has to provide them one,” said Shine. Online food delivery taking over has made things even worse. Since biodegradable packaging is relatively expensive, most small-time players turn to plastic. 

Shine added that people need to take responsibility for their actions that pollute the environment. “Suchitwa Mission has been rolling out initiatives to help curb the menace. We recently erected boards that urge the public to refrain from using plastic and encourage them to dispose of plastic waste responsibly. We will be taking assistance from Haritha Karma Sens and other agencies to spread more awareness,” he added.

• Kerala brought out a law banning single-use plastic in January 2020.  But the green road hit a block soon when Covid pandemic hit 
• Now, it seems like the plastic menace is back with a vengeance, piling up in every corner of the city. If not addressed soon, Kochi is headed towards an inevitable environmental disaster, say experts

Corp rolls out campaign
According to M Anilkumar, Kochi Mayor, the corporation has already rolled out programmes to tackle the issue. “It is a huge problem, but a legal course of action is not an answer during the pandemic. Taking strict action against restaurants, hotels, retail shops and other establishments that use plastic carry bags would only cause a backlash. They are already struggling to recover from the financial crisis that was brought in by the pandemic,” he said, adding that the easy solution is for the public to refrain from using plastic and stop littering. “Proper segregation of plastic waste is an important step,” said the Mayor.