Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

globalcitizen.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 269 posts

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#71

Post by tgb »

sqeaky wrote: post #52
wavefunction wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been told this too. There was a massive anti-littering campaign in the 1950s called "Keep America Beautiful" and it was ironically initiated by the packaging industry[0]. [0] http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2006/05/origins-anti-litter-...

I don't think its ironic at all. Some American industries actually do attempt to pro-actively fix issues to insure long term profitability. Consider groups like UL or ESRB, no government intervention there. I like the example of pesticides. The are some really nasty pesticides that aren't banned by law, but there are industry groups that work to reduce and effectively ban the ones that cause birth defects and obvious…

Admittedly ESRB was formed after the government (senator Joe Lieberman, famously) threatened to regulate the video game industry if they didn't form such a voluntary group.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#72

Post by walrus01 »

xyzzy4 wrote: post #8

Plastic is the least of Delhi's problems. First they should be banning vehicles that don't meet emission standards. I visited there twice and I'll be lucky if I don't come down with some lung problem. Edit: They should ban the burning of plastic, not plastic itself. And enforce it.

Your comment comes off as harsh and ignorant, but is IS a fact that pollution from two stroke engines (and other inefficient burning things) is a huge problem in large developing nation cities. Go look at the air in Lahore or Karachi on a bad day and view the blue-grey smoke emitting from every two stroke motorcycle and motor-rickshaw.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#73

Post by tn13 »

throwaway420 wrote: post #24

Not a huge fan of outright bans, and think this is probably the wrong priority for India to focus on. (I understand this is just Delhi) Air pollution is huge right now. And sad to say, people pooping in streets and rivers is still a major problem. To me, plastic remnants are a very minor issue in comparison.

Yes but Delhi currently has a clown for a Chief minister. He comes up with notorious schemes like this. Recently he came up with odd-even rule for traffic and with clever exemptions for women, taxies and what not leading to a complete failure.

Water logging is a big issue in Mumbai and perhaps there this policy was useful.

Delhi's air pollution is not because of Delhi but because of surrounding areas. Nothing can be done there.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#74

Post by vaishaksuresh »

bogomipz wrote: post #33

This is great news! I have a question maybe someone from Delhi could answer, the article states: "The ban took effect on the first day of 2017." What are the vendors doing? Is water being sold in glass bottles with a deposit scheme for redemption now?

I'm not from Delhi, but similar ban has been in effect in south India for many years now. Water/soda bottles are not included in the ban, it is usually the shopping bag and eating utensils like cups and plates.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#75

Post by tn13 »

geodel wrote: post #35

I do not see any coverage in Indian media. Could it be one of those official notifications which public at large hardly follows but it breeds corruption by enforcement officials. Though looking at Indian papers I came across this rather frightening news: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollutio...

That is how India rolls. I am not sure how the poor street food vendors survive if they cant use plastic plates and spoons. If they are forced to use steel plates and spoons that is a health and safety nightmare in India.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#76

Post by jws »

DrScump wrote: post #36
WalterBright wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father told me that American highways used to be lined with trash until it was made illegal to throw trash out the window.

In Silicon Valley, there is far more trash along highways than there was 30 years ago, well beyond simple per-capita pace.

I've driven through quite a bit of the United States. Attitudes to roadside littering vary wildly. Some eastern Washington state highways and rural Kentucky highways have mind bogglingly improbable amounts of litter for the number of people which travel them.

Time to roll out the "Crying Indian Ad" for another generation.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#78

Post by subpixel »

WalterBright wrote: post #28
Maarten88 wrote: post #13

Rwanda also has this policy, since 2008, and they enforce it. The country is very clean, it looks different than other African countries (and countries like the US), just because there is no plastic rubbish everywhere. I think this is a very good policy, and would welcome it at home. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/15/rwanda...

My father told me that American highways used to be lined with trash until it was made illegal to throw trash out the window.

American highways are certainly still lined with trash.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#80

Post by bendermon »

SixSigma wrote: post #68
bendermon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you poop in your fancy bungalow toilet, it does end up in the rivers, along with detergent and toxic toilet cleaners. Banning disposable plastic and non biodegradable detergents would go a great way in letting microbes and plants do their job in cleaning up the environment. With plastics not clogging up the rivers and chemicals not killing all river life, the rivers would definitely run much cleaner. This mov…

> along with detergent and toxic toilet cleaners. don't forget corpses http://www.planetcustodian.com/2015/10/19/8134/over-50-scary...

Corpses are biodegradable aren't they unless, it is that of superman.

Good protein feed for the fish, birds, crocodiles. Instead of taking up real estate.

Post reply on HN