My colleagues and I are happy to be here in Dhaka to share some of our interesting experiences about Plastics & the Environment, which has become a hot topic in the sub- continent in the recent past. As neighbours and members of SAARC nations, I wish to say we share your concern and anxiety at the very harsh measures on total ban of polybags that have been announced in Bangladesh.
I feel that you should not lose heart, but if you could benefit from the similar experience we in India had a few years ago, it may help or open ways and possibilities for your industry as well.
When the Indian Environment Minister in India expressed the same desire to ban polybags but was with dialogue and Industry perseverance made to look at the broader picture and wider consequences things changed. The Industry, the Governments, the NGOs and General Public have come together and are finding workable solutions with manageable rules and greater shared responsibilities. It is a constructive way of looking at issues.
Sustainable Development:
As each country plans its economic and social priorities to improve the lot of its people with limited resources but increasing population and larger needs of necessities, it pursues sustainable development. What this means is acting responsibility and wisely to protect the nation and the world for future generations. These actions encompass three broad segments- Environmental, Social and Economic.
On the environmental front what we need to look at primarily is resource conservation and climate- change consequences.
On the Social front, what we need to look at is Quality of Life of the people for better health, better education and better hygiene.
On the Economic front, what we need to look at is Combating Poverty, Job creation- Employment, Increased Productivity and with it larger Trade & Exports in the country.
The Plastics Industry can and does play a very positive role in helping nations pursue sustainable development intelligently. There are several live examples that one can readily see in daily life.
What activity / material use pollutes the least
Environmentalists who say "Plastics pollute the Earth", sometimes do not add that all industrial activity is polluting the earth in some way. In fact the fair and reasonable approach should be which material or product pollutes the least is least burdensome and then decide what suits our society best.
A progressive society which genuinely cares for the people and environment should accept the challenge of safety and hygiene for its millions of people, support economic advancement and also ensure resource conservation. Policies and laws should be so framed that all these are carefully considered and hardships not imposed on unscientific grounds.
Growth in use of plastics - higher than growth in GDP
Today we have first hand information and data of developed & developing countries from Far East to the Far West and in each and every country the growth in use of plastics annually is double or treble their growth in GDP. This means the entire world cannot be wrong in use of this unique material.
OBJECTIVES:
Scientific assessment of materials desired
Digressing a little, I wish to remind our friends that plastics were introduced by clever scientists to the world as we needed to reduce the burden of mining metals and minerals and use up natural produce to serve mankind. Plastics were not produced because of some fancy of a few rich nations. Polymer chemists have, in the last sixty odd years, introduced a wide variety of plastics with tailormade properties to meet requirements of different applications. At home at work, at play, in travel, in merchandising, for transport, communication etc.plastics help advancement. There are alternative materials like paper, glass, tin, jute etc. but each has its value and limits and before we decide to stop use of one or suggest another, we need to make a scientific analysis. A "cradle-to-grave assessment" of a material in a particular application can best help understand of what are the consequences on environment, on ecology and on the economic front. We should structure our policies and laws after considering all these logically and not emotionally.
Goodness of plastics - not a question anywhere
In this decade, the goodness of plastics is not challenged by any country. All Governments and their council of ministers have adequate data about the hundreds of ways plastics have helped its citizens enjoy a better quality of life. The challenge in fact is really of handling plastic waste after use and it would be wise to address this than blame the basic material generally.
Policies and laws are being framed to increase recycling and recovery of value from plastic waste the world over. Countries are supporting integrated waste management initiatives so that all solid waste is collected, sorted and processed, recycled or energy of feedstock recovered from it.
Plastic industry needs to accept it's responsible role
The Indian Plastic Industry, as a responsible segment of society, accepted that it had a role to play in finding a solution to plastic litter and waste that is left behind by consumers. It has been an active member of the National Task Force on Plastic Waste Disposal of the Central Government since last four years. The Indian Centre for Plastics in Environment (ICPE) has been created and funded by the plastics industry in India. It is now playing a very responsible role in working with the Government as well as municipalities in improving the Solid Waste Management in towns and cities. This constructive and participative role of the industry is changing the way plastic waste is collected and disposed.
I am happy to state that though this has been an evolutionary process over the last 18 months, there are state governments in India which are inviting ICPE to address their several municipal authorities and show how challenges of plastic waste disposal can be faced and practical solutions found to protect the environment.
Better envirnoment & antilitter: a people's movement
The reasons for this change in minds of authorities is because the members of the Indian Plastics Industry accepted that Environment protection is everybody’s responsibility and not just that of the government and mature government officials and ministers were open to a constructive approach. By agreeing to participate in the movement for improved solid waste management, we have created awareness programs, received support from NGOs and able to work on waste segregation at source projects. Making this a people’s movement for better and cleaner cities has brought about remarkable transformation in towns & cities where authorities have been willing to enforce anti litter and waste segregation rules sincerely.
Nature & composition of waste is very different now
The reason why the local bodies needed the industry's help is because unlike the decades of the fifties and the sixties, the nature of waste has changed. While the waste fifty years ago was of packaging items made of natural products or degradable materials of leaves, wood, paper etc., the waste stream of nineties is quite different. It is of much more versatile materials like plastics, which need a different method of disposal. The municipalities did not have infrastructure or policies in place to handle the new solid waste, though the industry has had the technologies to recycle this. By joining hands and bringing in recyclers, residents, packers, NGOs with municipalities and the plastics industry, the policies and rules have been reframed. Solid waste is collected intelligently now, resource can be conserved by recycling more and more and public places, beaches, river sides, parks and play grounds are much cleaner & better hygiene ensured
Path ahead: newer technologies for recovery
Today besides technologies and plants for recycling, compacting, etc, ICPE is collecting data on newer and newer technologies from the world over on energy from waste, feedstock recycling , chemicals from waste, fuel substitution, etc. All this will enable the plastics industry in India to contribute to a better environment in all towns and cities by helping keep places cleaner with better and better disposal of plastic waste despite larger usage of plastics in all sectors of the economy.
I hope these few thoughts of the Indian experience will help our friends from the Bangladesh plastics industry and the various authorities look at the current problem of plastic waste disposal a little differently and perhaps also bring about change in the way environmental concerns can be addressed and economic development of society continued for the good of the masses.