Plastic Pollution: The Cows Eat It Too
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 07. 3.07
Here in India, the ubiquitous cows supposedly eat anything and they really do – from paper to banana peels. And in the stomach of one deceased cow, it was discovered that it had ingested about 35 kg (77 lbs.) of plastic.
Controlling plastic pollution has become a challenge in a country where previously, garbage was usually of an organic nature and decomposed on its own and things that could be reused were put aside. There is a “waste nothing” attitude that still prevails, but is at odds with the “modern” attitude of excessive consumerism – and the scads of discarded plastic in the city and rural areas are plaintive evidence of a lack of awareness and infrastructure to manage it.
However, in districts such as Nilgiris, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, anti-plastic initiatives to raise awareness among the locals and tourists have made some progress. For instance, a five-year-long ban on plastics in the district asked that shopkeepers and customers avoid using plastic bags, in addition to providing future provisions for alternatives. But there remains a long way to go to transform the indifference of people.
Plastic garbage continues to be deposited in Ooty Lake through the Kodappamund Channel and in places such as Kotagiri, another popular tourist destination, plastic bags were still offered.
Nilgiris Collector Santosh K. Misra expressed that the anti-plastic campaign should be more strictly enforced further developed so that the district could become a model for other districts. Many locals here feel that it is necessary to look forward to another rigourous five years of the anti-plastic drive in order to see a more proactive outlook locally towards plastic pollution.
Other towns in India have adopted similar measures, distributing jute bags, while also generating employment in the effort to go completely plastic-free.
But worldwide, the statistics of plastic use indicate that perhaps it’s time for some change in attitudes elsewhere as well: typical annual plastic use per person in India is 2 kg (4.4 lbs); in Europe it’s 60 kg (132 lbs) and in the US it’s an astonishing 80 kg (176 lbs).
That’s definitely some food for thought: where do you think your plastic goes when you throw it out?
::The Hindu
See also:: ::Reusable Bags
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India is certainly facing a huge problem with plastic and other waste. From plastic bags and water bottles to disposable fast-food containers, everything is ending up in the trash, adding to the already insane amount of garbage generated by a huge population.
Before the consumer boom, 15 some years ago, most people were naturally inclined to be eco-friendly by using cloth shopping bags, using steel utensils and recycling paper etc.
Due to the IT boom and the influx of wealth in the middle-class, the culture seems to have done a quick turn-around and become more westernized, turning into a culture of excess consumerism and overall a more disposable material oriented society.
On my first trip to India, I had only been there a week or so, and I walked into a little shop to buy some water. I stepped outside, pulled off the little plastic ring that locked the cap, and had a drink. I found myself with this small piece of plastic in my hand, so I walked in and asked the shop owner "where should I throw this?"
He looked at me like I was from another planet for a few seconds until he said simply "outside"
I walked outside and looked, and sure enough there were piles of garbage everywhere.
And yes, I over my stay, I saw cows eat everything (for me, the most disturbing was juice boxes.)
Legislation and bans would never be enforced without putting alternatives in place. There has to be an organised community-wide effort for something like this to work. Thankfully, we have a great example ahead of us which shows that it's possible.