As the World Celebrates Earth Day, Punjab to Implement Plastic Bag Ban

As the world celebrates the 41^st Earth Day on April 22nd, to raise awareness about the state of the global environment (now recognized worldwide as International Mother Earth Day) the Punjab government this week announced that it would issue strong penalties on the use of polythene bags less than 30 microns in size (think of it this way, a piece of hair is about 50 microns across). The statement warns of strong penalties for violations of the Punjab Plastic Bags Control Act a regulation initially passed in 2005, barring the manufacture and distribution of the smallest polythene. Bags 30 microns and smaller have been stressed because they are  more likely to fly through the air to lands and public waterways. Polythene bags above this size will continue to be manufactured. Violators could face up to three months in jail.

Plastic bags contribute to Punjab’s solid waste problem, one of the state’s growing challenges due to the number of small-scale industries producing disposable, manufactured goods. With the agricultural economy on the decline and the deflation in the price of agricultural land hitting rural areas hard, migration to urban areas and the demand for consumer products has increased the production of solid waste in recent years. Of all Punjab’s cities, Ludhiana produces the greatest amount of solid waste from urban and industrial units, followed by Patiala, Jalandhar, and Amritsar, each seeing a rise over the past two decades. Waste from small commercial units  dump non-biodegradable waste right onto street, which can pose serious environmental health challenges. (Under U.S. law, we classify these lands as ‘Superfund’/’Brownfield’ sites indicating the presence of hazardous and otherwise harmful substances.)

Health experts in Punjab regard plastic bags as a menace to the environment. Not only does the use of polythene diminish soil health for Punjab’s already troubled soils, the bags also pose a challenge to sewage treatment and disposal of wastewater for clean drinking water in urban and rural areas. Colored plastic bags often contain mercury, lead and other heavy metals, which are already pervasive in Punjab’s environment. Lead is especially damaging to the central nervous system, and particularly affect the IQ of small children, while mercury can cause permanent damage to the brain, kidneys, and developing fetuses. Officials warn that bags also contain elements linked to cancer and should not be used as food packaging, a common site across even Punjab’s small urban centers. The bags also are threat  to Punjab’s cattle population, who consume the bags flying out in the open, either causing them terminal illness to the animals themselves, or passing it on to humans through contaminated milk products (our tasty cha and ras malai.)

Opponents of the ban, say that implementation will be costly to Punjab’s plastic industry. MS Dhingra of the Punjab Plastic Manufacturing Units Association, said that the plastic bag business is a 2 crore rupees a day industry in Punjab due to the demand from independent shopkeepers and storeowners. Roughly 8000 plastic bag manufacturers exist in Punjab, with about 250 in Ludhiana and 100 each in Jalandhar and Amritsar. In fact, after the ban was passed in 2005, the law was not enforced due to opposition by manufacturers and workers who were depended on these industries for jobs. Hence, ensuring a successful ban to advance public and environmental health must be met with opportunities for Punjab’s workers to continue supporting their families. (Bangladesh experimented with this and saw a rise in its jute industry, providing meaningful alternatives to plastics and to workers).

Like much of the world, Punjab is at a crossroads in determining how it can provide adequate jobs for its emerging workforce, solve the state’s fiscal crisis, and ensure that this development is sustainable and protect Punjab’s natural assets like land, air, water, and public health benefits which we take for granted from a clean environment (not to mention that weeding out corruption is high on the list). If leaders in Punjab have the vision to adopt solutions that benefit not only the economy but the environment too through the development of local, sustainable industrial production and a dynamic service sector, we can hope to see Punjab move through these troubled times, and perhaps, emerge with a new type of leadership. In the mean time, there’s a lot of work to do. Happy Earth Day.  #ED