Domlur to become plastic-friendly

BANGALORE: Next week will see shopkeepers and residents of Domlur adopting a new and innovative method to cut down on plastic waste. They will switch over to ‘Green Bags’ which is a concept put forward by Compact Green Enterprises in which plastic bags will be rented out to people at a nominal rate of Rs 5 which can then be returned to the area shopkeepers or pastiwalla’s for a refund of Rs 4. This effectively means that the consumer will be paying a service charge of just Rs 1 for using the bag.The bags are reusable and consumers can use them for 15 times before handing them for recycling. The project is being introduced amongst 600 shops in Domlur Ward over the next 45 days in order to ensure the reduction in numbers of normal plastic bags. The project was kicked off on Sunday at a function presided over by PC Mohan, Member of Parliament and AS Sadashivaiah, Chairman, KSPCB.“Our efforts to regulate plastic have not seen much success, this is certainly a much needed initiative. I urge Compact Green to expand this project to all corners of the state,” said PC Mohan. “Plastic has become a part of our daily lives, we need to look at plastic disposal seriously as it is creating many problems. This is a good interim initiative till the time we can ban plastic entirely,” said AS Sadashivaiah. He pointed out various problems of improper plastic disposal ranging from flooding due to blockage of storm water drains to death of animals who unwittingly eat plastic. Suresh Tota, MD, Compact Green outlined his business model and intentions for the gathered audience. “We must realise that plastic is a good thing, the problem is disposal. Our project will ensure that none of our bags ever reach a landfill,” he said adding that the problems of plastic in todays world have reached alarming proportions. “In areas like the great pacific, garbage patch, 5 to 6 times the size of India exists as a result of indiscriminate plastic disposal. We need to be more responsible,”  he said. The Green Bags are customisable and can carry logos or advertisements. This is the idea behind offering the bags at a cost of Rs 5 when their cost of production is higher. Compact Green believes that this initiative would benefit all stakeholders since shopkeepers would not have to bear the cost of plastic bags anymore. Companies can contribute as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and customers can get an easy solution for their shopping needs. The company is working on implementing a central collection solution by tying up with pastiwallas who would collect the bags from customer’s houses and ensure it reaches Compact Green for recycling and sanitization. The bags will be available in 3 different sizes and will be available from  the coming week in shops across Domlur. The area councillor Geetha Sreenivas Reddy announced that her foundation would be donating bags worth Rs 1 lakh to the shopkeepers.