Say YES To Plastics January 4, 2010

It difficult to understand how plastics can be termed as hazardous to health and life, when plastics have made significant contribution in medical safety and health care. There is no scientific evidence / medical proof to suggest or support that plastic products are injurious to human health. For more than 40 years, plastic medical products like disposable syringes, blister packing of tablets and capsules, membrane support, sutures, joint replacement prostheses, IV fluid bags, blood bags, catheters, heart valves and artificial skin have significantly helped supporting the human life. Medical devices made of plastics are implanted into the human body. One of the common examples is replacement of knee joints made of polyethylene.

When we talk specifically about Plastic bags, it has actually contributed in creating a sustainable, cost effective, energy efficient, hygienic and environmental friendly packaging system. Versatility of plastics has allowed creating an efficient, pilfer proof, hygienic and cost effective packaging of commodities like milk, spices, edible oil, bread, confectioneries, rice, wheat flour, snack foods, medicines and a host of perishable products like fish, meat and poultry products required by common man in their day to day life. This has been possible due to the following attributes of plastic materials:

• Non toxic, inert and chemically resistant.
• Excellent barrier properties to moisture and oxygen.
• Safe in handling due to non-breakability and light in weight
• Can be highly transparent allowing easy visibility of content packed.
• Can also be made extremely opaque to protect content from photo-degradation
• Sterilizable and resistance to bacterial and other microbial growth.
• Pilfer proof packaging

Contribution of plastics to human health is difficult to ignore. Plastic based packaging with the above-mentioned properties ensure reaching the best, hygienic and unadulterated product to the masses.

Blocking and littering is not because of plastic usage but because of poor management

Discontinuation of Plastic bags: Problems for common man and burden for environment

The flexibility of plastics ensures maximum protection with minimum material. Plastics packaging requires less fuel to manufacture and to transport than other packaging materials. Plastics offer improved cost effective packaging solution as it offers protection for perishable products. It also reduces waste and dependence on preservatives. Plastics help in saving natural resources like forest and water. Plastics have contributed significantly in terms of protecting sensitive products such as food and medicines during manufacture, distribution and use. Plastic packaging enhances the shelf life of food products and protects them from bacterial and microbial growth and is an effective tool against adulteration and contamination
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Milk Packaging is substantially dependent upon plastics. One of the biggest challenges for India is to further expand the dairy network, so that hygienic, convenient and inexpensive packaged milk can be made available to the vast population. Currently, almost 95 % of packed milk is packed in pouch. Plastic pouch remains as the most cost effective packaging material. Alternative like glass bottle is inefficient in terms of energy consumption. The energy needed for production of glass is 32 times more than that needed for plastic pouches. Transportation of milk in glass bottles (weight of 500 ml empty glass bottle is 430 gms compared to about 2.5 gms for empty plastic pouch for the same capacity) will lead to use of excess fuel consumption both for reaching the packed milk to consumer as well as for collection of empty bottles. The manufacture and reuse of glass bottles will result in high consumption of water posing burden on already stretched availability of portable water. Besides, use of detergent for bottle cleaning will have a deleterious effect on environment. Other possible alternative like tetra pack, which is the composite of different kind of material including Aluminum and 3-4 layers of plastics, is not viable. Cost wise this will put heavy burden on consumer and the presence of multiple materials makes it difficult to recycle, resulting in the higher burden on landfills because of dumping.

Edible Oil is another commodity, which has been under focus. The dropsy death in Delhi and other parts of the country prompted the Government of India to formulate rules for unit packaging of edible oil. The administration acknowledges the fact that the percentage of adulteration is significantly higher in case of edible oil sold in loose form and has prohibited the sale of loose edible oil from 1st May 2005. Plastics pouches have proven to be most efficient and cost effective solution to provide unadulterated oil to the consumer. Now with current notification of discontinuation of plastics packaging this effort will come under serious threat and once again the society will be exposed to the easily adultrable loose oil.

Plastic bags add convenience to day-to-day life. Plastic bags are essential for packaging of bread, confectionery items, in view of its superior properties and cost effectiveness. All these products are very sensitive to moisture and loose taste and quality within no time. Hygroscopic edible products like sugar, salt, jaggary and many other food items susceptible to moisture cannot be effectively packed in alternative materials without sacrificing the quality or cost of packaging. Over years plastics packaging have played a major role in protecting and increasing the shelf life of these products.

Plastic bags play a key role in handling garbage collection and disposal. Plastic bags are widely used for handling domestic and kitchen waste material. In fact there is no better way of collecting wet / kitchen garbage.

Banning can never be a plausible and progressive solution – as it merely serves to promote corruption. Think and act -NOW

Source of facts : ICPE