Plastic is being used to package anything from groceries and food to flowers and medicines in Tiruchi, even though not too long ago, shoppers in the city had become accustomed to bringing their own cloth bags to carry their purchases home.
Despite being banned widely from 2019, single-use plastic products have quietly made their way back as the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic has forced manufacturers of biodegradable alternatives to down shutters.
In 2018, the Corporation banned the use of disposable plastic goods such as carry bags, cups and straws, a year ahead of the government ban announced in January 2019. Since then the civic body has conducted searches, seized these items and slapped fines on those selling them.
There was also a boom in the production of carry bags made from natural fibres such as cotton, tapioca and bamboo.
But prioritisation of controlling the spread of COVID-19 by authorities has seen the resurgence of the banned items in the city, say many environmentalists and residents.
“While the pre-pandemic awareness campaigns against plastic overuse made people more open to adopting eco-friendly options, cloth bags are no longer kept handy because shopkeepers are back to using plastic bags,” K.C. Neelamegam, secretary of Thanneer, a voluntary organisation, told The Hindu.
The irony is that some of the bigger franchise supermarkets in the city charge a hefty price for their cloth carry bags, while their smaller counterparts give away plastic bags for free. Mass-produced cotton bags that were being sold for ₹12 to ₹20 in the pre-pandemic days can easily cost ₹50 now.
“Plastic litter is clogging up most of our water bodies,” said a veteran journalist who writes on local environmental issues. “With fears about COVID-19, we have a new category of solid waste in the form of discarded non-woven fibre masks, which is just another version of plastic,” he added.
Packing hot beverages such as tea and coffee in plastic pouches is also on the rise, said Crawford resident Biju Mathew. “Many lower income workers tend to take ‘parcel tea’ in polythene packets because it is cheaper, but in the long run this may lead to health problems as the hot liquid reacts with the plastic,” he said.
While the plastic ban is commendable, it needs greater effort to be enforced and followed. “The authorities should check to see if the plastic bags currently in use stick to the prescribed microns limit. The public must also voluntarily cut down on plastics, to prevent further environmental damage,” said Mr. Neelamegam.