Govt should first ban the sale and  use of Thermocol in daily life.

Therocol use used in Plates, Cups, Decoration material,  school  projects,  in all forms of packing even though it can be avoided.

This it self will give big relief  for Garbage mess.  

Already Pune and ZChennai r trying to reuse this but struggling.

Presently their is no ecomical and environmental friednly solution for recycling of the Theromcol.

Its high time Govt should put ban on Therocol Manufacture and use in open market. It need to be regulated for food storage like fish and medicines.

I want more citizens to raise the voice and even schools shoudl stop asking kids to bring Theromocol for the activities.

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Delhi was the foremost to ban plastic bag usage and was followed by many cities in India like Chandigarh, Sikkim and Pune where the ban really did not work. The big reason for it is the same as what has made plastic indispensible! 

So what do we need to make it work here in Bangalore?

I would think that along with the ban, the governament also needs to promote alternates rigourously. They can be :

Cloth bag usage - Govt can promote Khadi bags as an alternate and offer subsidies for them. This will help the Khadi weaver community as well as promote a eco friendly economy. These bags can be sold out of supermarkets as well as corner kirana stores.

Bio-degradable plastics - The main problem with current plastics is that they are not bio degradable. This can be resolved with the new trend of bio-degradable plastics which will degrade within 3-6 months. Govt should promote indegenous research on this and start industrial production.

Also, few decades ago, news papaper packing usage was prevalent widely for groceries and these practices need to be resumed at all local stores.

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@Srindihi u have mentioned rightly,  alternate solutions which are environmental friendly need to be adopted and also  to what extent we can move away from use of Plastic in daily life need to be checkled practically.

Easiest to stop using in daily life is :

Plates, spoons and cups made from Thermocol and Plastic.  Alternate is use leaf plates in functions,  thick moulded plastic plates  which can be reused.

Use alternate  type of carry bags made up of Jute, Cloth and for simple packing of fruits and grocery paper bags can be used.

Regarding food packing by Plasttic to what extent we can avoid :  Like milk packing, ready to eat food items ( example :are  biscuits,  choklates, ice cream cups, juice bottels,  wheet bags and many more )

Solution : We need to recycle the plastic for different use so that plastic does not end up in land fills.

Cloth packing, Electronics goods  packing,  : To large extent plastic and thermocol can be avaioded and  Govt should force industry bodies / merchanets  to adopt alternate methods

Use of Thermocol in decoration or in school actiivity need to be completly banned.  That means Thermocol should  not be available in market fro sale in loose form except for packing.

What do we do on the medicines and liquid forms packed in plastic ??? This need to be recycled,

Question comes : E-waste and Bio-Medical waste need to be encouraged  on priority.

More recylcing units established on priority  to handel this huge qty :

1. Recycle of Plastic units

2. Recycle of  Bio-Medical Waste

3. Recycle of  Fresh Thermocol  used in packing ( where it can not be avoided ) without spoiling it,  can be used for  temp controlled in food storage.

4. Recycle - Electronic waste  at more places.

So its not the ban only can make effective, its combination of l

-  Aternate use  like cloth bags,

- ,On some complet ban of plastic use like carry bags, Thermocol plates & Cups

-   On establishing more recycling units for  Plastic, Electronic waste, Medical waste

- Finding alternate methods to avoid use of Plastic in long term.

First it need to be defined which all forms, plastic  & thermocol can be banned , govt should spell out clear strategy and plan instead of blanket ban.

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Will the ban on plastic end up spurring the usage of the equally dangerous thermocol or styrofoam? That is what activists fear.

Though thermocol products today constitute a small portion of the garbage that the city produces (around 4 per cent), they fear that a ban on plastic might throw up thermocol as an alternative. Comparatively, thermocol is ecologically more dangerous than plastic, but for the quantity in circulation, say green activists. Though both plastic and thermocol are non-biodegradable, plastic is easily recyclable while thermocol is not.

Though the draft notification, in its preamble, clearly notes that thermocol plates and cups are ecologically dangerous, the operative portion does not mention styrofoam or thermocol.

“Presently, there is no technology to recycle thermocol. There are only two options: either compress and dump them in soil or burn it, which is known to release carcinogenic gasses,” said Sanjeev V. Dyamannavar of PrajaRaag, who has sought regulation of thermocol in response to the plastic ban notification.

Lack of awareness

Bindhu Vinodh, an activist who recently led a successful campaign against the use of Styrofoam plates at Phoenix Mall, said that eating food in such plates pose health hazards. Awareness about the issue is sufficient, he adds.

Ramachandra, Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), agreed and said that thermocol is the biggest threat to solid waste handling, as it cannot be recycled.

A small portion of thermocol waste is only being compressed and reused.

Bharath, an entrepreneur who has put up the first plant to reuse thermocol, said that he compresses around three quintals of thermocol every day. It is used to make photo frames and for sound proofing.

However, not everyone feels that banning thermocol is a practical solution.

Green activist Suresh Heblikar said that a ban on plastic or thermocol will not be practically implementable without addressing socio-economic and lifestyle issues.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/not-just-a-ban-on-plastic-regulate-thermocol-too/article7879228.ece?ref=tpnews

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I am from chattisgarh which had introduced complete plastic ban about a year ago and I can vouch for the fact that you will be hard pressed to find a shop that will plastic carry bags.

so this can certainly be implemented.

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These facts will help and force govt to ban plastic bag for carrying and the Thermocol also.

Looking for GOK to issue final notification for plastic ban soon with Thermocol to be included.

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