Behavioural change key to SUP ban success

Single-use plastic (SUP) littering streets and clogging drains in Guwahati and elsewhere in Assam even after one year of a blanket ban is reflective of the collective failure of society and the enforcing authorities. Initiatives to prevent the circulation of SUP must go beyond the symbolism of an organised campaign to achieve the desired objective. The notification issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2021 announcing the ban with effect from July 1, 2002 shows that the emphasis was more on supply-side intervention. The notification states the manufacture, import, stocking, sale, and use of 19 notified SUPs are prohibited. The CPCB has also been writing to Chief Secretaries to enforce the ban, but widely used SUP, like plastic carry bags, continue to be in circulation. The supply indicates that the demand for such prohibited SUP has not declined, and unscrupulous traders have managed to carry on with the sale and distribution, taking advantage of the lack of enforcement. Demand for plastic carry bags remaining high speaks volumes about the poor level of awareness among the general public about the harmful impact of SUP on the environment. The awareness drive by government as well as Non-Government organisations has remained limited to campaigns run through traditional and new media, which have popularised the message of the ban on SUP but failed to focus much on behavioural change. Plastic carry bags became popular after most people had given up the habit of carrying a cloth bag or a durable carry bag made of jute and other biodegradable materials. Some people have started carrying cloth bags or reusable plastic carry bags to shops and markets for purchasing daily household requirements. However, shops are still using polythene bags to pack groceries, citing the non-availability of alternative packing materials or plastic carry bags with permissible thickness, which cost more and erode their profit margins. Central and state governments addressing this issue is crucial to enforcing the SUP ban, as for consumers, paying for every package of grocery items is not feasible. And if grocery owners continue to use prohibited plastic carry bags, then consumers alone carrying the cloth or reusable plastic carry bags is not going to prevent the circulation of prohibited SUPs. The consumers, however, can at least stop carrying vegetables, fish, and meat from markets in plastic carry bags of prohibited thickness if they make it a habit of taking cloth or reusable bags. Carrying an extra bag for bringing home fish or meat, which used to be packed with paper in the past, can completely prevent the circulation of plastic carry bags in markets. Even achieving this can make a huge difference in the prevailing situation. This will also go a long way in creating buzz about the SUP ban and raising awareness to take a carry bag from home instead of asking the traders to pack it in a plastic carry bag. While purchasing grocery items, a large number of customers are seen asking for polythene carry bags, even for a single milk pouch, bread, or biscuit packet. Shop owners also oblige, as they do not want to offend and lose their regular customers for fear of suffering business losses. If the customers stop asking for carry bags for one or two items they can carry in hand even if they have forgotten to carry the bag from home, it can significantly reduce the number of prohibited plastic carry bags. People themselves have to take the initiative for such behavioural change. Those who have realised the importance of the SUP ban and demonstrated such behavioural changes can be expected to have a ripple effect. At the same time, the government, in consultation with traders’ associations, shop owners, and consumers’ associations, must hammer out a workable solution to address the issue of the availability of alternative packaging material at an affordable cost. Local bodies putting in place an effective waste management system for segregating plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes from biodegradable wastes is essential to prevent plastic wastes from being dumped in drains, water bodies, or the streets. In Guwahati, even if residents or business owners segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation has no system of collecting segregated waste, and collecting vans mix up wastes collected door-to-door. Lessons need to be learned from Indore Municipal Corporation, which has successfully implemented segregation of waste into six different types at the household level to make Indore the cleanest city and earn crores of rupees. It also runs its fleet of public buses on fuel produced by processing 1,900 metric tonnes of waste every day. A combination of initiatives by government authorities, local bodies, and the general public is needed to make SUP prohibition successful. Enforcement of the prohibition is important for supply-side intervention. Old habits die hard, but they will if demand-side intervention through behavioural change is prioritised by stakeholders.