Date: 28/11/2022 Shift: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Q. No: 118

The new ban on ‘single use plastic’ is on. The government has defined ‘single-use’ plastic as something that is used once and then disposed of or recycled.
The government has listed 21 items that need to be phased out and they include plates made of plastic, cups made of plastic, earbuds with plastic sticks, glasses made of plastic; wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes and cigarette packets among others.
Going through the extensive list made me sit up and wonder as to how plastics have quietly seeped into our lives and become so entrenched that we can’t think of a life without them.
The durability and convenience that plastics offer have proved to be a disaster in the long run. Once we discard plastic items, they are not biodegradable and usually go to a landfill where they are buried or eventually get into water and find their way to the ocean. They later break down into tiny particles and release toxic chemicals. These chemicals enter our food and water supply and are found in our bloodstream, leading to various ailments, including cancer, infertility, birth defects and impaired immunity.
I was lucky enough to have a glimpse of what a pre-plastic or a less-plastic era looked like. We had to carry a glass bottle or steel container while going to buy milk, a cloth bag was integral to shopping at grocery and vegetable stores, and every shop stocked old newspaper to wrap and pack the goods.

Extensive