Plastics and me.

21 February 2016 at 20:29 · 

In the village I carefully collect my plastic covers - from the dal or tea I buy from the local shaop. When I leave the village I carry it, unwilling to add plastic garbage to the village. I drop it at the Pakala garbage bin, knowing the meaninglessness of my act.

Or carry it to Chennai. And my daughter asks, "So send it to the Pallikaranai marsh ?" She knows well the damage Chennai landfills cause to the waterlife and to the communities living in hutments around the Great Chennai landfills.

I am nowadays rather cynical about the world and about myself. The way the world is shaping, we will make the younger generations cynics in their teens. They are seeing their parents, supposedly concerned about the earth, carefully carrying plastic covers away from the village to stash in another place's landfill ! 

Comments

Velmurugan Balasubramanian Noone cares or at least most of us don't. It is almost impossible to avoid plastics. Everything comes in plastic one way or the other everywhere. One can contribute little bit to avoid them but at the cost of their time, convenience, etc. But, that seems too less. So, simply live life happily. 

Aparna Krishnan I am living life very happily. Each find his happiness differently 

Velmurugan Balasubramanian I mean worrying about plastic and it's impact as I also tried to plastic free but, it made me go crazy and could not avoid plastic. It is just impossible in city. 

Renuka Shah Very true Aparna.. Each time I visit any village, I do d same.. Nowadays I minimez d use of plastic bags.. One day d things ll change for better is my hope 

Aparna Krishnan I also carry cloth bags, and refise covers. But everything is pre packaged, and it feels rather pointless. We need to take everyone along. Only collective will will lead anywhere.

Aap Avadi Srinivasan Teja packing Industry has to reinvent an alternative to plastic. otherwise no use of all our efforts. 

Aparna Krishnan locaize. local production and local consumption ! and demand severe laws against plastice. maybe - sone day. 

Aap Avadi Srinivasan Teja Aachi Masala, Sathi Masala, Udhayam dhalls, refined Sunflower oil packets, Provision packs, Lays , Bingo , Kur Kure..... so the list goes in 1000s... now what will be your anwers to these corporates? 

Aparna Krishnan Boycott. Make your snacks at home !

Aap Avadi Srinivasan Teja snacks I can boycott... but basic monthly provision items make a big list and we now we dont have a choice but to buy them in packets. 

Aparna Krishnan so we need to work that out. some shops only pack in paper/ demand you bring your covers. we need to demand/ create more such ...  

Mahima Thangappan I do the same thing and sit with the same guilt. Every plastic bag i throw, which appears again and again how much ever i minimise....... Pauses many thoughts, when i throw them in the bin.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 22 February 2016 at 00:25

 Sridhar Bhaskarla You earn quite a few points there maa'm. You should watch your friends in Bangalore yesterday. They all celebrated vehicle-free MG Road yesterday and turned it as a junk yard. The whole road is now full of plastic covers, trash and all kinds of junk, no less than a land-fill. It is now being patiently cleaned by the pourkarmikas - a punishment for them while it was a 'happyday' for these innocent citizens and they want more of them :(
Aparna Krishnan i hold no brief for anyone who has not moved to a village, burnt some boats, staked something personal. est is tamasha, and entertainment.
Sridhar Bhaskarla So, according to you, everyone should leave their jobs, move to villages and do carpentry, farming, masonry kind of jobs. We will somehow buy mobiles and use face book and other technologies but we will let them managed by foreign countries as entertainment and tamasha. Sounds like a plan
Aparna Krishnan your choice. yes, i think anyone with genuine concern should commit some/ many years to a village. only then will they understand, and next may be able to do something. if they wish to, that is. otherwise its ok. the world looks after itself, dont bother.
Raghunandan Tr Totally agree with Sridhar. I drove through MG road this morning at 5.30 AM and the quantity of litter was unbelievable. What hypocrisy!

 · Aparna Krishnan   what do we expect of an alienated self serving middle class ? unless they step out of their gated colonies and virtual world. unless they wish to - which i doubt. our battle lies elsewhere, these characters will simply entertain themselves and fiddle as they burn up the earth.

 

Fatema Chappalwala Hi Aparna ji, We at Sambhavna are trying hard not to buy packets, and to most extent we are successful, in fact we wouldn't allow shopkeepers to put tape on the paper bag. I'd request everyone to try hard to buy without packets.

 

Mahima Thangappan I always feel, unless plastic waste is separated from organic waste, corporation is never never going to even have a slightest thought is arranging for recycle. So, the onus to initiate plastic recycling to get start is first public's responsibility. We cannot dodge anymore. Public has this responsibility.