World Environment Day to Prevent Plastic Pollution

Hyderabad: Ahead of World Environment Day, June 5, which has ‘preventing plastic pollution’ as the theme, experts said that it was important to look at the policies and their implementation to ensure that the goal was met.

Environmentalist and public policy expert Donthi Narasimha Reddy told Deccan Chronicle, “The problem of plastic usage is much bigger than the individual behavior change. The difference making factor is to stop or reduce plastic production.”

He said there had been a discussion on reduction of use of fossil fuels. “Why can’t we aim to bring down plastic production from crude oil,” he asked.

Earlier, man-made fibres were taxed at 48 per cent, which was gradually brought down. This led to the increase in the production of plastic products.

Environment and development expert Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka said that it was important for states to enforce the ban on single-use plastic ban. He stressed that it was important to look at the lifestyle changes to make do without plastic.

“Plastic, especially microplastics, has severe implications on all the living beings because of the long life of more than 200 years,” he said. Acknowledging that plastics had become mostly become indispensible, he said, “We need to look at the scenario at the global level.”

He further said that the five R of Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle would help in significantly bringing the plastic usage down in daily life by helping in major lifestyle changes.