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You all must be well aware that plastic carry bags were banned from 14th December 2018 in Patna. Only plastic bags above 50 microns of thickness which are used for biomedical waste are exempted from this ban.

From 23rd December, Bihar government started imposing fine for use of plastic bags.

The penalty is imprisonment for maximum 5 years term or fine up to INR 1 lakh or both. So, it’s better that we stop using plastic carry bags now.

 

The various replacements for plastic bags are jute bags, cloth bags, and paper bags. Amidst all this, I was given a carry bag by a departmental store, that looked exactly like a plastic bag. But, had written on top of it – I am not a Plastic Bag.

 

When I reached home, then I started searching on the Internet about what exactly is this thing. Well, these are compostable bags and 100% plastic free. These compostable carry bags are made from corn starch and other compostable material. They decompose fully in 3 to 6 months. Whereas, a normal plastic bag takes several hundred years to decompose.

 

Last year, when plastic bags were banned in Pune, then the PMC (Pune Municipal Corporation) was skeptical about the use of these compostable bags as an eco-friendly substitute. Most of the bags were found to be oxo-degradable, not biodegradable.

 

Thus, even while using these 100% plastic free bags, we have to look at the certification and make sure they really are made from renewable resources like corn starch, potato starch, sugarcane, and biodegradable polymers.

 

The plastic ban is a good thing for our environment. So, we should all pledge to support the government in this initiative, instead of complaining about it.

 

Let’s go green. 🙂

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