1.4 Crore Bags Dumped As Garbage
A survey conducted by students of Sri Krishna Arts and Science College has found that residents in Coimbatore use two crore plastic bags a year. Of these, 1.4 crore bags are dumped as garbage, Principal of the college K. Sundararaman said on Sunday at a meeting organised by the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC). The survey was a form of participation by the college in RAAC’s drive along with the Coimbatore Corporation against plastic carry bags. It was aimed at enabling the Corporation and RAAC ascertain the extent of the usage of plastic bags and devise strategies to check it. The survey took a sample of 8,000 people in a city of over 10 lakh population spread over 72 wards of the Corporation.
One plastic bag occupied on sq.ft. of landfill. Therefore, every year, 1.4 crore landfills were polluted by the bags. On an average, 3,000 acres of land in and around Coimbatore were polluted by landfills containing plastic bags. In another 50 years, 1.5 lakh acres would have been polluted. A scientific analysis was also done with regard to educate the public on the ill-effects of plastic carry bags. This included death of animals, food hazards, mosquito breeding and disposal hazards. The survey revealed that more than 60 per cent of the residents covered by it went to shops at least once a week. And, more than 50 per cent of them used three or more bags a week. It was based on this estimation that the survey concluded that people in Coimbatore used two crore bags a year.
The findings pointed out that 35 per cent of the people depended on the free plastic bags supplied by shops. They never carried bags to shops. As for shopkeepers, it was found that 44 per cent of them offered more bags than what were necessary. More than 48 per cent of the respondents disagreed on non-usage of plastic bags while shopping and the rest felt that the use of these bags could be avoided. As for the response to the Corporation’s campaign, the survey found that 46 per cent of the people agreed that the bags should be shunned. While 17 per cent of the people were neutral and 11 per cent refused comment, 26 per cent disagreed with the Corporation.
