Speaking at the Revolution Day function in Panaji, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar made yet another pledge – to rid Goa of plastic by the time June 18 rolls around again next year. Haven’t we heard this before? Hasn’t every successive government – and Parrikar himself in the past – sworn by this declaration? And yet, Goa’s plastic problem remains unsolved. Granted, it’s not an easy task. A small state with around 1.5 million people, Goa sees massive tourist footfall every year. There is no proper segregation at source and the people themselves are slow to catch on.
However simply calling for a ban, as is usually done in cases like these, is not enough. You need to offer the people an alternative solution. Like the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation did earlier this month. After fighting a losing battle against the usage of plastic bags, the GHMC has come forward to promote the use of biodegradable food-safe carry bags made up of environment-friendly products like starch, corn flour, fruits and vegetable waste and extend support to firms manufacturing such bags. Made of bio-polymers, the biodegradable carry bags take approximately 240 days to dissolve, as against plastic carry bags which take 300-500 years. Going ‘zero-waste’ is definitely an achievable dream. All that’s needed is a clear-cut, sustainable, long, as well as short-term plans of action.
