International Plastic Bag Free Day 2023: Is ‘Manjappai' Cloth Bag An Apt Alternative For Plastic Bags?

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In order to reduce plastic usage, single-use plastic usage including polythene carry bags in particular at various levels, the Indian government has been taking strict measures for years. Despite the efforts, the results were not effective in India. Many micro and macro-level studies clearly indicate that single-use plastic is the biggest contributor when it comes to plastic pollution. In addition, it creates a serious environmental cost that results in societal welfare losses.

International Plastic Bag Free Day is observed annually on 3 July to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of single-use plastic bags on the environment and the day acts as a reminder to individuals, communities and businesses across the globe to take action and reduce their dependency on plastic bags.

Plastic bags contribute to pollution, damage wildlife, and take hundreds of years to decompose, which causes long-term damage to ecosystems.

India is the host country. Its meeting was held in Delhi. Since then, All the state governments, Tamil Nadu in particular, take this issue more seriously than before.

As part of that, the Government of Tamil Nadu in general and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forest, in particular, has adopted a four-pronged strategy on 27 November 2021 to beat plastic pollution and root out single-use plastics in this terrain. Of them, one of the strategies is to coordinate and interface with stakeholders to design and popularise sustainable eco-friendly alternatives. As far as carry bag is concerned, it was decided to ask people to use cloth carry bag instead of polythene carry bag.

Following this, Government started its awareness campaign on 'Meendum Manjappai' (again yellow cloth bag) on 23 December 2021. Since then, the Government is conducting a lot of awareness campaigns at the district level through various activities. No doubt it is a good move. But the question is why 'Meendum Manjappai' (colour cloth carry bag) because it consists of bleaching, dyeing and printing activities that are attributed to industrial water pollution, which is already a serious pollution problem compared with other types of the pollution problem in developing countries like India.

Looking back, people went to the ration shop and grocery shop, etc. with cloth bags including yellow bags. Over a period of time, there is a sea change among people in using a type of carry bags in grocery shops, etc. purchase but at the same time, there is no change among people in ration shop purchases. People are still bringing several cloth bags to buy ration materials from ration shops.

To reach the mass of people, easy to remind and easy to popularise, the Government is using the slogan 'Meendum Manjappai'. No doubt it will attract the attention of everyone. It has travelled one and half years since it started.

Following this, Government decided to set up Manjappai Vending machines in many public places. People can get it at an affordable cost. We have to welcome it but at the same time, we have to rethink: Why not choose 'Plain Gada cloth carry bag' instead of 'Manjappai'? Plain Gada Cloth carry bag does not require bleaching, dyeing and printing activities and therefore, it is green and good for a sustainable living.

If Manjappai (any colour) a Plain Gada cloth carry bag is a sustainable choice for living, then why do we need plastic bags?

(This article has been contributed by P Chandrasekaran, Sr. Project Associate, Care Earth Trust, Chennai.)