Traditional alternatives to single-use plastics

Assam Cabinet's approval to a comprehensive action on a plan to phase out Single-Use Plas tics (SUP) and plan for the development of alternatives and scientific disposal of plastic wastes is laudable but full cooperation of the general public is a must to achieve the desired goals. The alternatives to SUP are available in traditional practices among communities in the state which will make preparing the roadmap easier. Reviving the practice of the use of biodegradable Sal leaf plates and bowls and plantain leaf to serve the cooked meal and other food in community feasts, wedding receptions can be the first pragmatic step towards eliminating SUP by December 31. The Central Government's plan to eliminate SUP set September 30, 2021, for prohibiting the use of plastic carry bags less than 75 microns in thickness and carry bags less than 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022. Assam has already missed the first deadline as prohibited plastic carry bags continue to be in circulation. Building an aggressive campaign on how taking a cloth bag or re-useable thick large plastic shopping bags to the markets and daily shopping can reduce the use of SUP. The SUPs are widely used by buyers to carry home vegetables, fish and meat which are discarded along with unsegregated wastes collected door-to-door by Guwahati Municipal Corporation. The use of non-biodegradable SUPs has also spread to other towns and urban centres and adjacent villages with most people stopping the practice of carrying a bag for shopping. Prior introduction of plastic, carry bags for fish and meat were used to pack in paper and carried in jute or cloth bags. Other prohibited SUPs include plastic earbuds, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) used for decoration, plastic cups, plates, cutlery like forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packaging films around packing boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets and PVC banners less than 100 microns. Plastic wastes generated from these SUP has already made solid waste management a major challenge with discarded non-biodegradable plastics finding a way to wetlands, water bodies, rivers and polluting on an alarming scale, clogging drains in towns and Guwahati city. Under the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2021 plastic sheet manufacturers are required to manufacture sheets of 120 microns to be supplied to manufacturers of plastic carry bags. All India Plastic Manufacturers' Association (AIPMA), however, sought more clarity on amended rules as PWM, 2021 has not mentioned plastic films used as a coat on paper plates in the prohibition of SUP. The Central Government clarified that plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase-out of identified single-use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility of the Producer, importer and Brand owner as per PWM Rules. Assam has robust traditions of using plantain leaf in community feasts. Innovative use of bamboo leaf in making eco-friendly serving bowls under the initiative of Public Health Engineering in Baksa district demonstrated alternatives to SUP plates and bowls. The banana leaf being easily available adopting this alternative is a viable proposition. Popularizing its use can also generate livelihood opportunities for many in rural areas. The introduction of SUP in wedding receptions and other functions has led to communities giving up the environmentally sustainable practice of using plantain leaf or leaf plates made of Sal leaves for serving a cooked meal to guests. The practice can be still observed in some villages which kept use of SUP at a minimum compared to urban or semi-urban areas. The use of Koupat by the Singphoo community for packing ready to eat Topola Bhat, a traditional rice delicacy, is an example of the traditional use of bio-degradable material which is locally available and sourced from nature for sustainable living. The use of Sal leaf plates has drastically declined. Technological innovation has now made it possible to make hygienic Sal plates and bowls in shapes that can replace plastic plates and bowls. Roadside snack food shops used biodegradable plates and bowls made of Sal leaves which are now replaced with non-biodegradable SUP plates and bowls. Fresh demand for Sal leaves will open livelihood avenues of collecting it as minor forest produce by communities living on the fringe of forests and earn money by selling those to Sal leaf plate and bowl making units. In Odisha, for about 15 lakh people, Sal leaf collection is a major livelihood. The use of serving plates and bowls made from areca nut leaves has also opened up commercial avenues but high prices compared to plastic plates, much cheaper bowls have restricted its adoption on a wide scale. Subsidies available under North East Industrial Development Scheme, 2017 and other schemes can make such a capital-intensive entrepreneurial venture of manufacturing plates and bowls made of Sal, Areca nut or banana leaf commercially viable and replace non-biodegradable SUP.