Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In
India
cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Surat and Goa and
some of the tourist centres such as Mahabhaleshwar, Nilgiris, Tirupati, and so on,
have reported improvements after the Rule and its amendments on regulating the
manufacture, use and disposal of plastics came into force.
In
Ireland,
about 1.2 billion plastic bags were used annually prior to the imposition
of the Irish plastic bag levy (a form of product tax imposed to internalise external
costs) on the use of plastic bags [63]. A levy of €0.15 per bag resulted in a 90%
decrease in the use of disposable plastic bags and provided close to €20 million in
funds [55]. In 2003, plastic bags amounted to only 0.3% of the country's litter stream
compared to 5% before the levy [63]. The Irish
experience indicates that a robust
legislative and regulatory base is necessary to guarantee success. A similar attempt
in Italy ended in failure.
Three weeks after the ban was imposed on use of plastic bags in
Somaliland
, although
oficials said that it had taken effect, local people claimed that use of the bags continued
unabated. Importers of the plastic bags oppose the ban, claiming that there are no
cheaper and reliable alternatives and the ban will result in a loss of revenue to the
government.
Adopting the regulation on manufacture and use of plastic bags in
South Africa
resulted in a drop in consumption of plastic bags. The regulation appears to have had
an impact on the local production of plastic bags, which dropped to around 50−80%
and the sales dropped to 10% of previous levels in the beginning, which over time
stabilised to 30% of previous levels [64]. Before the introduction of any regulation
on the use of plastic bags in
South Africa
, the cost of plastic bags was integrated into
food prices. Thus, even if consumers did not receive a bag, they were still required
to pay for it. With more transparency and choice for consumers to buy a bag or not,
it is reported that they beneited from lowered food prices [60]. The regulation also
inluenced public understanding contributing to increased environmental awareness
[64].
The changes because of the regulations are a reduction in consumption of plastic
bags by consumers, re-use of bags by consumers, heightened awareness among the
consumers on the need to reduce littering and thus, less plastic being disposed of in
a manner that is detrimental to the coastal and marine environment.
A ban on the dumping of any plastic materials in the ocean was put into effect by the
USA
in January 1989. This legislation and rising public awareness have provided an
opportunity to move effectively toward reducing the amount of plastics discarded in
aquatic environments. The commercial ishing industry has played a leadership role
in addressing ways to reduce the materials accidentally or deliberately discarded into
