Make the plastic and waste burning bans inclusive

Of late the city of Doon is talking about two bans. Plastic ban and banning burning of waste. Both valid and desperately required. With the ban the discourse shifts to its implementation which undoubtedly is poor. The problem is that the discourse needs to shift to why should the ban not be followed by all voluntarily and why should there be the need to enforce it with checks, raids, fines etc.

The main issue about the bans is lack of inclusiveness. It is very easy for the affluent citizens to give up plastic in favour of more expensive alternatives. Similarly waste segregation and disposal is not a problem for the well heeled. But take a look at the vast majority of Doonites and you will immediately understand why the ban is not accepted voluntarily. And let me immediately debunk the myth that the not so well off do not understand the problems of plastic and burning. They do but do they have an alternative? Have we thought of these bans from the viewpoint of vast majority and tried to make them inclusive.

What does a family who save some money to celebrate the birthday of their child do? Not buy plastic cup, plate but buy alternative stuff which could be more expensive or more difficult and too time consuming to handle? And what is the alternative that is cheap and easily available? Is it there? Does the family even know about it? What does the same family do when they are asked to segregate waste? Buy three bins? And then also worry about disposal as there is no efficient disposal system? First find a kabadiwallah who buys plastic or tetrapacks. Then worry about composting the kitchen waste? And there is no guarantee that the nagar nigam will collect the non recyclable waste from him regularly. Now tell me is that an ideal situation for the vast majority of our residents who have more important matters like daily livelihood and who therefore deprioritise plastic ban or waste segregation?  

The bans are required but these must be accompanied by inclusive measures. Provide plastic alternatives which are cheap and widely available. Provide efficient waste collection system. Mobilise the ragpickers ward wise to collect recyclables from household on a daily basis. Let every citizen or household not get into composting but get composting pits built ward wise or get compostable materials picked up as separate trash and get delivered to industries that need compost. Let NGOs work with nagar nigam for efficient removal of the same. Let nagar nigam build an efficient system to collect non recyclable waste everyday from each household. The aim has to be to make the ban voluntarily and not forceful implementaion