It is just a week since the campaign to discard the plastic bags and educate the public to make a choice of carrying their own cotton or jute bags while on a shopping spree has evinced keen response and interest from the public.
It was nice to read the large and enthusiastic public support that was reported in the City Kemp issue this week, when more details were made to the traders in Koramangala area.
It is good to see the interest taken by Ramalinga Reddy, Transport Minister and Corporator Chandrappa.
It is generally difficult for even BBMP to list out ALL the plastic items that one may be able to refuse, reuse or recycle. However, based on my own experience and practice, I would like to share couple of interesting items that one can take extra care in use.
For instance, let us take the issue of ball point pens. These have totally replaced the good old pens which we used to write, by filling up ink. Such pens are a novelty now and the last time I asked for a bottle of Suleka or Quink ink, the shop-keeper was surprised! Instead, he offered me a huge variety of ball point pens that he had in his store!
Now it is more than two years that I use only those ball point pens for which refills are available. Every couple of months I take the pens back for getting my refills! Earlier, I had no alternative but to throw these in the waste paper baskets. So, as a first step, don’t buy pens that do not have refills available!
These ball point pens are now given out as complimentary items in shops, hotels and many popular places, to attract customers. Most of them, particularly those in hotels are cheap Chinese makes that have to be discarded because one cannot get refills for them.
Second item that comes to my mind is the “disposable Razors” that are sold at very competitive prices.Here again, they have practically replaced the conventional razor with blades (many elders would remember the 7 O’clock and Gillette blades!) that are no longer in the market.
These have become our constant travel companions and when done with, they too have to be discarded, carefully, in the manner BBMP has outlined for recyclable plastics.
Maybe, we all should consider going back to buying the traditional razors that our’ barbers used in hair cutting saloons; they too have given up this item and now use standard blades, break them into two, and use the half side for a shave!
I am sure readers of City Kemp will come up with other such items that we can carefully use and replace, so as to protect the environmental damage.
-Dr A. K. Ramdas
Koramangala 6th Block
Citizens can contribute to anti-plastic campaign! Use Refills to write with Ball point pens!
