ECO-FRIENDLY BAGTRENDHITS GANDHINAGAR

DI L I P PATEL
Amovement against usage of
plastic, the scourge of the
environment, is gaining
momentum among
women in Gandhinagar. On Monday,
as many as 1,500 eco-friendly
reusable bags, were distributed for
free in three vegetable markets in
Sector 7, 21 and 24.
The exercise was conducted by
Gandhinagar Residents’ Association
(GRA) that had support from Gujarat
Pollution Control Board and
Kalpataru Power Transmission
Company.
The GRA had been toying with
the idea of giving shoppers ethical
alternatives to plastic bags that
don’t harm the environment during
production and don’t need to be
discarded after each use.
SHUNNING PLASTIC
ON MONDAY, around 5.30 pm,
GRA president Arun Buch and his
team, accompanied by GPCB’s
chairman C L Meena and member
secretary R G Shah, distributed the
cotton bags to women at the vegetable
markets.
They were asked to empty the
veggies from their plastic carry bags
into the cloth bags and urged to
bring it along everytime they came
shopping.
Buch said: “When we asked them
why they weren’t using cloth bags,
some said they found it
embarassing to hold it as compared
to the plastic bag that could be folded
and kept in a purse. It was saddening
to know that plastic was
some sort of a status symbol for
them. But beautifully designed
cloth bags can change their mindset.
Most women who were distributed
the cloth bags loved them and
promised they won’t touch a plastic
carry bag now on.”
HOUSEWIVES TAKE A PLEDGE
THE WOMEN were also made to
sign on a pledge sheet stating they
shall not use plastic carry bags and
shall participate in activities to combat
climate-change. Even pamphlets
detailing the ill-effects of plastic
were distributed. They were urged to
inform the GPCB about any vendor
giving away plastic bags that were
less than 20 microns in thickness.
Buch said: “Four months ago, in
a similar exercise, 300 eco-friendly
bags were distributed among shoppers.
Even I use it and see many people
bringing it along with them to
the market.”
He adds further: “The cloth bag
costs Rs 15 and will last for nearly
two years.
The plastic bags you’ll use in two
years’ time will cost the vegetable
vendor not less than Rs 60. But using
it costs us even more. Look at
what we have done to our environment.
Plastic bags that get buried in
landfills may take up to 1,000 years
to break down, and in the process
they separate into smaller and
smaller toxic particles that contaminate
soil and water.”
Buch says that as per existing
rules vegetable vendors have to pay
Rs 50 fine if they give away bags below
20-micron thickness. “This is
not enough. You have to raise the
fine if you want to effectively curb
the habit of using plastic.”
Jyotsna Darji, who received the
free cloth bag on Monday, said:
“Stray cattle often eat plastic bags
while trying consuming vegetable
waste and it leads to slow starvation
and death. I don’t know what other
damage it causes to the environment.
But I now know plastic is
harmful. I shall use the cloth bag
given to me.”
Ritaben Parmar, a housewife said:
“I was quite embarassed to take the
cloth bag with me to the market.
They look very downmarket. But
such classy cloth bags can easily replace
plastic carry bags.

THE NO-PLASTIC REVOLUTION
A group of environment-conscious citizens distributed 1,500
cotton bags to customers at vegetable markets in the state
capital in its first step towards combating climate-change
Arun Buch (right) convinces Jyotsna Darji, a shopper, to empty vegetables from the plastic bag into the cloth bag
I was quite
embarassed to
take the cloth bag with
me for shopping. They
look very downmarket.
But such classy cloth
bags can easily replace
plastic carry bags
– Ritaben Parmar,
Housewife
I don’t know
what other
damage it causes to the
environment besides
killing stray cattle. But I
now know plastic is
harmful. I shall use the
cloth bag given to me.
– Jyotsna Darji,
Housewife