Bengaluru: Plastic ban ok, but what's alternative?

Bengaluru: With a strict no-no to black plastic bags, how do city residents dispose or store their garbage? Kethan is one of those concerned city dwellers who is quite worried about the plastic ban. People are now looking for other alternatives as the ones at hand are dearer on the pocket.

“It is either a jute bag or newspapers but that is so inconvenient,” grumbles  Keerthi from CV Raman Nagar. “We are now thinking about composting as despite this whole plastic ban being good, we are not left with many options. Also the BBMP garbage collectors are hardly around,” says Kethan Raj from Murugeshpalya.

According to a recent BBMP circular, those who use plastic carry bags, plastic banners, plastic flags, plastic buntings, flex, plastic cups, spoons, cling films, sheets used for spreading on dining tables irrespective of thickness, including items made of thermocol and micro beads will be fined Rs 500 for first-time use and Rs 1000 for second and subsequent offences.

City residents feel that civic authorities banned plastic covers without providing any alternative. “Paper covers are not alternatives for bulk use. Before implementing the ban there should be a proper alternative plan,” says Raju Shastri, a resident of Malleswaram.

Although HSR layout was one of the first areas to have initiated the plastic ban, of late people are facing innumerable issues while dealing with garbage disposal.
“The primary issue is that the civic employees come once in three days or in a week to collect the waste. The garbage which keeps getting dumped at respective places gives out a foul smell and produces  insects like cockroaches,” says Raveena C a resident of HSR Layout sector one.