Kerala: A perfect mimic for a cloth bag

Thiruvananthapuram: As the Corporation plans to announce a complete ban on plastic carry bags on January 26, a plastic carry bag, which looks almost like a cloth bag, is gaining currency. Shopkeepers seem to be unaware that this material – non-woven polypropylene – is also banned.

One of the shopkeepers who used this said that it was a mix of cloth and plastic, and it was allowed. Another shopkeeper told us that they started using it a long time ago, when Corporation health officials seized plastic carry bags from their shop.

K.S. Radhakrishnan, President, Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, says that its use had not come to their notice, but would inform all shopkeepers. It is likely that they genuinely would not have understood that the material was plastic nor how harmful it was, according to Sunil Ahamed, a plastic recycling businessman from Kerala based in Coimbatore.

“When the CPM conducted the Nava Kerala March in February 2016, we could see a sea of red caps. Even the CPM leaders didn’t know that it was non-woven polypropylene. Even the ones who made bags out of these don’t know why it should not be used,” he says.

It was difficult to recycle the material, especially in large quantities or after it got wet, says Sunil Ahamed. Burning it would emit carcinogenic gases. “Normally cloth bags would be stitched. This is sealed on its edges using a punching machine. That is one way to identify the material. It catches fire easily and melts quickly,” he says.

When asked about this, Health Standing Chairperson K. Sreekumar assured that the Corporation would take strict action against the use of this material.