Why Nagaland Government Should Not Ban Plastic Products But Manage or Provide Alternatives!

Just because vehicles cause pollution doesn’t mean you ban vehicles, you regulate emissions and provide alternatives! Simple logic! Just because plastic is a menace doesn’t mean the government should ban it, but should regulate it more efficiently. The 3Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle — of solid waste management (SWM) also apply to plastic bags.

If at all our Government is adamant on banning plastics, why are they not providing any alternatives?

Why target the small and weak people because they cannot confront the wicked and bigger menace? Especially those running small hotels and fast food whose livelihood is affected because those in power do not understand the struggles of the small businesses. Why not shut down the factories manufacturing plastic products or disallow entry of plastics to the state at all cost instead of tormenting the business community by seizing their products, making them pay fines and  threatening to cancel their trade licenses?

Since paper bags, jute bags, cloth bags cannot hold wet foods/products, what should the traders use? What are the alternatives?

In this digital age, a major source of income for fast food and restaurants is Food Deliveries! And if we cannot use even the plastic containers to deliver the food to our customers, their income is reduced drastically and will force us them to debt and poverty because the cost of rent and running a small business has become incredibly expensive. Why can’t our policy makers and bureaucrats understand the woes of the simple and small traders?

If the state government cannot give alternatives, it cannot ban using of plastic products because that is not wise governance.

Even with a change of material, however, there is no guarantee that environmental damage from plastics would stop. This is because the ‘evil’ is not in the material used, but in the behaviour of those who do not know — or do not care — where, when and how to dispose of the product!

Create awareness among the users so that these plastics instead of throwing into the rivers and roads, can be collected effectively to recycle and convert waste into revenue for the government.

It is thereby a sincere appeal to those in authority and also our educated people to seriously ponder upon this issue and find meaningful solutions instead of blunt and thoughtless dictats which severely hamper those who are earning a livelihood without depending on government jobs but by running small businesses on their own. We talk about taking up entrepreneurship so that we rely less on government jobs but if those in authority cannot even understand the micro economics of our society then we will never be able to progress ahead but instead regress backwards as a people.

Terho Letou
terholetou@gmail.com