India wants to ban single-use plastic by 2022
Rights — di Lorenzo Brenna
Within 4 years the Indian government will eliminate disposable products such as bottles, bags and cutlery, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India wants to ban single-use plastic by 2022
Within 4 years the Indian government will eliminate disposable products such as bottles, bags and cutlery, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From India, the homeland of Mahatma Gandhi, a new non-violent revolution is under way — not against British colonialists but against single-use plastic. On the occasion of World Environment Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country will ban all disposable plastics by 2022.
India writes a future without plastic
The initiative pledged by the Indian government aims to address the serious problem posed by plastic in India — it is estimated that around 17,000 tonnes of plastic waste are produced in the country every day — and represents the most ambitious commitment at a global level to combat plastic pollution. "The choices we make today will define our collective future," said Narendra Modi. "They may not be easy choices, but through awareness, technology and genuine global collaboration, I am confident we can make the right choices. Let us all come together to defeat plastic pollution and make this planet a better place to live."
Read also: LifeGate PlasticLess is born to clean our seas of plastic
The fight against plastic
India's decision, described as "unprecedented" by the United Nations, follows a similar move by the European Union, which recently announced a ban on certain widely used plastic items, such as plates, disposable cutlery and straws, by 2030. The Indian breakthrough is, if anything, even more significant when one considers the enormous population of the Asian nation. Among the items that will be banned in India by 2022 are bottles, bags, packaging paper, plates and cutlery, straws, cotton buds and balloon sticks.
#WorldEnvironmentDay 2018 in India 🇮🇳was a landmark day for our planet with impactful #BeatPlasticPollution & #CleanSeas commitments. @ErikSolheim & @deespeak share some of the biggest highlights.
Cleaner seas and monuments
India also announced the launch of a national campaign against marine litter and a programme to survey the quantity of plastic floating along its 7,500 kilometres of coastline. One hundred national monuments will also be cleared of plastic pollution, starting with the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum. "Environmental degradation affects the poor and the most vulnerable in particular," said the Indian Prime Minister. "It is the duty of each one of us to ensure that the pursuit of material prosperity does not lead to environmental degradation."
The example of Osho Kalia
The Indian government's measure is excellent news for all the country's inhabitants and for the world at large. There is, however, one person in particular who perhaps rejoiced more than anyone else. That person is Osho Kalia, a thirty-two-year-old who gave up his career to devote himself to fighting the scourge of plastic. Among other initiatives, he launched the No to Polythene, Yes to Cloth Bags campaign, which aimed to counter the use of plastic bags. Kalia began alone, one step at a time, to fight what seemed an invincible enemy, and today India is following his example.