Plastics trade offers to combat civic litter

Indian Plastic Federation (IPF) will extend technical and financial assistance to municipalities and corporations in the state to help them fight the menace of indiscriminate littering of plastic carry bags.

J C Agarwal, president of IPF, said the association would work with civic bodies to combat the problem caused by littering of plastic carry bags. IPF has tried the experiment in the past but it did not work out, he noted. "We are ready to offer people to pay for them," he said.

The association vehemently denied the charge that plastic posed any environmental hazard. "People should use it responsibly. We should develop a proper waste collection and management system," he said.

Several civic bodies in the state had banned use of plastic bags of certain specifications. "The issue was blown out of proportion. It is not the plastic but the habit of littering of bags which is harmful," he noted. To combat the littering problem, plastic manufacturers were looking at developing bio-degradable plastic.

"There are certain kind of additives available commercially in the country, that can be used for making bio-degradable plastic. However, it would make the product costlier," D K Chatterjee, regional manager eastern region of Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) said. Manufacturers said cost would come down over time if volume picked up.

IPF would be organising 'Plastiscope 04', a seminar on 'Building Competencies'. It would be held on February 26, 2004, in Kolkata, with West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya inaugurating it.