Ban plastics to save the environment

Times of India dated 20 March 2016 (1) has reported that shopping malls in Bangalore have taken a major step to eliminate plastic bags that are enemies of the environment. Such bags are being replaced by stacks of brown paper bags in most stores. The plastic ones are hidden from view and are either being tucked away into the bottom-most cabinets or left unused in the back rooms of gourmets and department stores.
Similarly, plastic rolls are also not visible because they also have also been removed.
The alternative is newspaper bags that are freely available for fruits and vegetables. There are brown carry bags that cost Rs 7 each and also cloth bags. The best part is that many customers have begun to bring their own cloth bags and a section of shoppers are yet to get used to the 'no plastic' rule.
Big Bazaar has 20 outlets across the city and it has switched over to brown paper and cloth bags and have also introduced single-sized handloom bags which are yet to become popular with customers. For big orders, some malls use cardboard boxes supplied free of cost.

Daily Mail dated 19 March 2016 (2) has reported an interesting bit of news pertaining to Starbucks. It is taking a giant leap in its efforts to control environmental littering due to throwaway cups that are normally used for serving coffee.
Starbucks has hit upon a novel idea of offering a 50p discount to customers who bring their own cups. This is perceived by many as a major victory for the campaign against litter and waste caused by coffee shops.
The move by Starbucks to give a 50p discount to those who don’t require a paper cup – initially in a two-month trial starting in April – has been termed as a ‘seismic leap’. Those who bring their own cup will see the price of medium-sized lattes and cappuccinos, both of which normally cost £2.70, reduced to £2.20. This will be effective from April 1 for a two month period during which period the matter would be studied.
However, the only drink that will not be eligible will be the shop’s filter coffee, which costs £1.
It is a matter of great concern that nearly 2.5billion disposable cups are dumped in landfill or incinerated on an annual basis in Britain. Many coffee shops use misleading green symbols to suggest their takeaway cups are recycled, when the reality is that a vast majority are not. The cups, some of which are made from trees that are 80 years old and cost less than 16p to make, have a useful life of just 30 minutes before being dumped and the failure of the chains to address the issue and tackle the resulting tidal wave of litter and waste has been condemned by customers and environmental groups.

The efforts to eliminate plastics from littering the surroundings have been extended to the Gir lion sanctuary in Gujarat. As reported in Times of India dated 19 March 2016 (3), in order to make the preserve totally free of plastics, a drive was launched by the wildlife division of Sasan Gir. It resulted in collection of nearly 2000-Kg of plastics from the villages located on the periferi of the sanctuary within just three hours.
The drive was to free the last abode of the Asiatic lion from plastic and had been initiated by the forest department, as part of celebrations of the 50th year of the sanctuary - the sanctuary had turned 50 on September 18 last year. As indicated by chief conservator of forests, apart from removing plastic from the periphery, the forest department is going to propose a complete ban on the use of plastic in Sasan and nearby areas. The plan is to talk to traders and persuade them to end the use of plastic. Simultaneously, tourists would be persuaded not to leave plastic anywhere in the area.
The sanctuary itself has already been made plastic-free. In 2014 it was made mandatory for all tourist vehicles entering the sanctuary, to have a dustbin. It was the responsibility of the guide and the driver to ensure that tourists did not litter the sanctuary. Moreover, drivers and guides were instructed to collect any plastic bags they see on their route.

Ref 1 - Malls look at paper, cloth bags to replace plastic http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Malls-look-at-paper-cloth-bags-to-replace-plastic/articleshow/51477922.cms

Ref 2 - Bring your own mug and get 50p off your coffee: Starbucks offers discount in victory for campaign to slash paper cup waste
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3499650/Starbucks-offers-discount-victory-campaign-slash-paper-cup-waste.html

Ref 3 - Two tonnes of plastic removed from around Gir
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Two-tonnes-of-plastic-removed-from-around-Gir/articleshow/51466256.cms