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India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

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Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#121

Post by WalterBright »

tempestn wrote: post #106
wnevets wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my favorite scenes from Mad Men was Don and his family leaving their garbage everywhere after a picnic in a beautiful forest. edit: panic to picnic

Here's the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roREnVhd_og And a reddit thread about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2aj23u/in_an...

I wonder if Mad Men is more of a caricature. My family would go on picnics in the 60s and we'd clean up after ourselves. Maybe it was because my father was an Air Force officer and the USAF took a dim view of disrespect of other peoples' property. I remember AF bases as always being clean and well taken care of.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#122

Post by TillE »

eru wrote: post #64
mahyarm wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What will be the effect in air pollution when burning plastic garbage is replaced with things like paper garbage and the poor return their glass bottles because it gives them $$$?

Cans are actually more energy efficient to produce and recycle.

I don't think that's the case. Sturdy glass bottles can simply be washed a few dozen times before they wear out, whereas aluminum cans must be melted down and remade.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#123

Post by mstodd »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #38
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.

But a ban on plastic bags is easy, it is quick and immediate. Whereas the other problems you mention may take decades, if ever, to solve. At least they're doing something. And it's not like the people enforcing the ban would be the same people who would otherwise install air and water filtration systems. If there's anything India does have in abundance, it's manpower.

So what if it's fast and easy? Plastic bags are incredibly efficient. They're popular for a reason. If you want to keep people impoverished, this is how you do it

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#124

Post by mrkgnao »

slezakattack wrote: post #95
geodel wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banana leaves may be traditional and popular in southern India where banana grows aplenty. In Delhi banana leaves would be used in chic restaurants with traditional touch. It is no way going to be used by street vendors. I have normally seen steel plates/spoon used by street vendors. Not very hygienic as they just rinse in water after use.

When I visited Nepal, a lot of the street vendors had these bowls made of leaves (perhaps banana leaf, not really sure). I have no idea if they are financially better off or cost effective but thought I'd mention that I've seen something like this before.

Street phuchka vendors in Kolkata (they are what you call golgappas in Delhi) will hand you bowls made out of sal leaves. I wonder if that's the same as what you came across?

https://billandpaige.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/dsc_6462.jp...

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#125

Post by wallace_f »

The economist inside me says it would be better to tax disposable plastic.

The tax could cover the cost to clean up the litter. That would create jobs in three ways: 1) plastic clean-up jobs, 2) businesses and economic activity that desperately need disposable plastic can still possibly survive, and ) jobs making disposable plastic.

Anyways, it's a lot better than taxing things we all agree we want more of. Like jobs.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#126

Post by hive_mind »

This is India. Starving, thirsty, injured (hit by cars and trucks) cows and dogs roam the streets, hobbling along, limping along. There are people starving on the street-side. The poorest children are openly prostituted on the streets.

How are they going to enforce a rule regarding plastic bags?

The rich will continue to do whatever they want.

The middle-classes will continue to do whatever they can get away with.

The poor will continue to be shit on and abused.

------------

About 20 years ago they banned smoking in public in Delhi (I was there when they did it).

All that this ordinance did was to give the police yet another angle to harass people. More corruption. More bribes.

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#127

Post by aaron695 »

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...

A bit OT, but interesting -

Smugglers work on the dark side of Rwanda’s plastic bag ban

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/2/25/rwanda-plast...

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#128

Post by elvisds »

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...

The ban has been active in Bangalore since March, 2016 [1] and in Mangalore for much longer [2]

I was surprised to learn Delhi did not have such a ban so far

[1] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Total-plas...

[2] http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/mangalore-bans...

Re: India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

#129

Post by lucaspiller »

walrus01 wrote: post #99
astrodust wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These countries will benefit immeasurably when electric/battery scooters are cheap, efficient, and superior in every way to their unbelievably noisy two-stroke counterparts. It's amazing that one dinky little vehicle can make so much pollution and racket. Leaf blowers used to be exclusively crappy two-stroke engines that would make a huge racket. Now at least there's a lot of electric competition.

It's going to take a while. Unfortunately there is still a huge gap in terms of energy density and $ per kilojoule or Wh stored between a $650 (equivalent value in PKR or INR currency) two stroke motorcycle, and an electric motorcycle with equivalent engine power and range. Just the batteries for a decent electric motorcycle alone cost 8x more than a typical developing nation locally manufactured motorcycle or motor-…

Power distribution would be a problem (well it already is) with the uptake of electric vehicles - although I'd imagine if solar panels get cheap enough everyone could have one at home and just swap a spare battery in over night. Fuel is already quite expensive in India (around the same price as Europe), so it might not be that long a wait.
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