Plastic Carry Bags

Recently the government of Andhra Pradesh has banned the use of plastic carry bags with thickness less than 40 microns. The move has come very late, before us most of the other states have already banned the plastic carry bags.

Why plastic carry bags of less than 40 microns are banned? How does the thickness of the plastic carry bag play a role? These are some important questions for which we need to know the answers.

Plastic carry bags are made from polyethylene, which consists of long chains of ethylene monomers. This is non degradable. The plastic carry bags of less than 20 microns thickness are non degradable and non recyclable, which is the most important reason for the ban. However carry bags with 40 microns thickness and more, even though are non degradable but can be recycled.

Whatever steps the government is taking is not enough. Everyday tonnes of plastic is dumped in the garbage which is affecting our environment in different ways.

Blocking the drainage systems and thereby contributing to flooding.
Cause floating marine debris in the ocean.
Cattle sometimes consume the plastic from the debris. This plastic then chokes their intestine, due to which they cannot take any food and slowly die due to hunger.  
Tonnes of plastic are dumped on the earth surface, in course of time the soil becomes toxic due to presence of non degradable plastic and thereby turning it infertile for cultivation.

These are few examples of how the plastic is affecting our environment.

Only we can save our environment, possibly by.......

Ban completely the usage of plastic in any form.
Always carry cloth bags when visiting a market. 
If you are forced to use plastic, then use only thick plastic carry bags and dispose them properly so that they can be collected for recycling.
Get two dustbins, mark one as "wet" and other "dry". Add vegetable garbage into wet dustbin and add plastics, broken, non working  bulbs and tubes etc., into dry dustbin. The garbage in the wet dustbin can be used as bio fertilizer in the gardens. The garbage in the dry dustbin can be sent for recycling.

These are few thoughts from my end. I know there are many nature loving people out there with novel thoughts. Think and implement your thoughts to protect the nature. We can make a difference.

"Save the environment for future generation"