Plastic Bags a Capital Offence in India

Emporius

Emporius

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THE global battle against plastic has taken a draconian turn with officials in Delhi announcing that the penalty for carrying a polythene shopping bag would be five years in prison.
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The new guideline means that customers, shopkeepers, hoteliers and hospital staff face a 100,000 rupee ($A3000) fine and possible jail time for using non-biodegradable bags.
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I think it's fantastic that India of all countries is taking such a large leap to reduce pollution and garbage. While it is quite drastic, I for one hope that this attitude is adopted by other countries soon.

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So it's not a capital offence then...
 
I agree it's great they are taking the problem seriously but I think they are going about it in totally the wrong way. They should be making laws to prevent any more bags being manufactured but not punishing people for using a benign product if used responsibly.
 
Can't they just make it a law to recycle instead? They should do something similar here in the US tbh, but instead of outright banning plastic altogether, there needs to be more education and laws within the waste management system. Still though, at least paper is biodegradable.

OR, what I've heard recently was that there's currently an all natural, biodegradable plastic in the works that disintegrates in about 5 years underground.

Seriously though, 5 years in prison for even CARRYING a plastic bag? What about tourists who don't know any better? (not that I'd ever visit India) Sounds like Indian government officials suffer from a lack of education tbh.
 
Here's a good idea.

Why not put say 5cents on each bag as a tax, that can be reclaimed at recyling centers. It means people can still use bags and it provides a source of income for street children.
 
Haha, India providing for their poverty stricken?

You slay me, good sir!
 
OK fine ban plastic, but only if you can provide a material with the same properties that is environmentally friendly...
 
Remus said:
OK fine ban plastic, but only if you can provide a material with the same properties that is environmentally friendly...
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To begin with, the ban will be lightly enforced, giving people time to switch to jute, cotton, recycled-paper and compostable bags. Officials said it would be up to the courts to decide on how harsh a sentence an offender might face ? and refused to comment on the chances of shoppers going to jail.
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The first targets in Delhi will be the industrial units that manufacture the plastic bags in the capital, which officials say will be closed down.
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Saturos said:
Seriously though, 5 years in prison for even CARRYING a plastic bag? What about tourists who don't know any better? (not that I'd ever visit India) Sounds like Indian government officials suffer from a lack of education tbh.
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You might want to read up on the situation before spewing out crap like that, this law is a follow up to one passed a while ago which sought to reduce the use of such bags by restricting the thickness of bags that people were allowed to use.

The update came about as a result of people ignoring the law. Since The sentence is up to the discretion of the court ... i doubt they would throw someone in jail for 5 years for simply carrying around a bag , however stores and manufacturers that continue to produce and sell the bags will obviously receive a stricter sentence. As for the comment about their education , i don't think you realize how much of a problem this actually is. recycling is not a viable solution because it costs more to recycle such bags than it takes to produce them in addition to this the bags , clog drains , cause fires and are breeding grounds for bacteria.

you guys might want to actually read the article before commenting.
 
Why haven't Bio-degradable bags caught on if we care so much about our planet?
 
I don't use plastic bags anyway so this has nothing to do with me.
 
Solaris said:
Here's a good idea.

Why not put say 5cents on each bag as a tax, that can be reclaimed at recyling centers. It means people can still use bags and it provides a source of income for street children.
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then the goverment will have to pay a lot
and reciclyng is supposed to save money isnt?
also considering what kind of bag the price may be diferent
 
Meh, its India, the laws will just be broken, and the policemen bribed.
 
They added a 15c tax on plastic bags in Ireland a couple years back. I was working in a shop at the time, reduced the amount of people who asked for bags by about 90%.
 
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