A multi-use product

Plastic bags were designed to satisfy a need. Thin plastic can do many things that paper, which is recommended as a good substitute for plastic, cannot. Indeed, there are ways in which thin plastic may be more useful than paper.

For example, plastic bags are widely appreciated for their use in wrapping food, and holding water and other wet goods. They are also useful as a protective lining for rubbish bins, as a protective wrap for delicate clothing material, or as a way of temporarily sealing roof and tap leaks.

These and many other functions make the plastic bag a versatile, practical invention of the twentieth century.

Another advantage of the plastic bag is that it is reusable. Although some plastic bags are too thin for reuse, the solution is to manufacture stronger and more durable plastic film bags, not discard them altogether.

One reason that plastic film bags are widely seen as an environmental nuisance is that most are non-biodegradable. But if they were manufactured from a biodegradable material — such as the bioplastics that are now being produced in some European countries — the main reason for banning them would disappear.

Employment: Almost 1 crore People Directly or Indirectly are dependent for their Bread & Butter on this industry in Uttar Pradesh. Almost 2000 Industries are there in U.P only. They also Contribute a high revenue generation to the Society and as well Taxes which would be effected after this Blanket Ban.

Wrong behaviour

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.

Moreover, governments cannot ignore the contribution to the economy of the thin plastics industry.

Good environmental management is key

The answer to the problems associated with thin plastic bag use is not a ban, but better management. The 3 Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle — of solid waste management (SWM) also apply to plastic bags.

But only a few countries in Asia have sound SWM systems, even though all of them have regulations on solid waste. This is a result of a general misconception that managing is the same as regulating.

Managing plastic bags means knowing how to use and store them properly so that they can be reused many times, and knowing how they can be recycled when their useful life has come to an end.

The need for enforcement

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, paper bags generate 70 per cent more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags, because four times as much energy is required to produce them and 85 times as much energy to recycle them.

Indeed, as with anything that is designed for a purpose, both paper and plastic bags need to be managed to sustain their usefulness and prevent them from disrupting the balance in our ecosystems.  

Regulating the use of plastic bags is necessary. But regulations are not enough; their enforcement is more important.

Banning plastic bags dismisses them as useless, and disregards their practical functionality, durability and affordability.

It is the misuse and improper disposal of plastic bags that is causing harm to the environment, not the product itself. A total ban on plastic bags will only gloss over the lack of an effective environmental management policy in a given country. It will not save the environment from the ill-effects of a 'throw-away' mentality.

Lilia Casanova is a former deputy director at the UN Environment Programme's International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP-IETC) in Japan. She is currently the executive director of the Center for Advanced Philippine Studies, and a board member of the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines.

They’re not  based on science. Independent studies show that plastic bags are environmentally preferable to paper. Other suggest that, when they are reused, they are preferable to the reusable plastic or cloth sacks that many of us tote around.

Getting rid carry out bags won’t lead to a long-term solution to the problem of plastic waste. Maybe instead of banning or taxing bags, we should be recycling them. That’s the argument being put forth by a company called  Hilex Poly, which will recycle tens of millions of pounds of plastic bags, sacks and wraps this year, and would like to do more.

You may disagree but after digging into this subject for a while, I’m certain about only one thing: It’s complicated.

Most of the world uses between 8-15 microns. 
They do not fling it out of their windows once used. 
Plastic is a crude oil product. And needs a lot of electricity to produce and costs foreign exchange. Making and using an unnecessarily strong and expensive product is stupidity. 
There is no alternative to plastic. 

1. Paper is highly polluting to produce, paper mills ruin the water sources   nearby.

2. Cloth is too expensive.

3. Neither of these products are waterproof.

Use plastics responsibly. 
Production of plastics causes 0 pollution. 
Plastics are 100% recyclable. 

Disclaimer- I am from the industry. You may find my views pro plastic. It is not because plastics are my bread and butter but because what I have expressed is true. 
I have noticed a lot of people having misconceptions about the degradation of plastics. Plastics do not degrade. They can be recycled. Biodegradable plastics are available at a small premium they degrade more than 80%.