{"id":2761,"date":"2022-12-06T07:35:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T07:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenortherngazette.com\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2022-12-06T07:35:22","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T07:35:22","slug":"litter-consumerism-or-indifference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenortherngazette.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/06\/litter-consumerism-or-indifference\/","title":{"rendered":"Litter: Consumerism or Indifference \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Litter: Consumerism or Indifference<\/p>\n

Vipin Kumar<\/p>\n

Dehradun, Dec 6<\/p>\n

The year 1862 is a watershed year in the modern history of mankind which witnessed the advent of plastics. Since then the material has been used in various ways , reaching\u00a0a stage where it is used in cutting edge technologies such as space programs, bullet\u00a0proofing and prosthetic limbs to everyday products such as beverage containers, medical devices and automobiles. However, its use in packaging has made its\u00a0presence cosmopolitan reaching the remotest corner of the Earth.<\/p>\n

The light weight water resistant and water proof packings have been the choicest material for the manufacturer and the consumer. High up in the mountains the\u00a0mountaineers, trekkers and nature lovers prefer to carry food and eatables in\u00a0plastics. The problem only begins once the packings are discarded and littered. The\u00a0landscapes are tinted and with the rain it is washed into the rivers which carry them\u00a0downstream .The impact of such waste on landscapes and along the river banks is\u00a0experienced through their accumulation after the monsoons.<\/p>\n

In a study conducted in Darjeeling the impact of accumulation of plastics on hill sides\u00a0lead to blockade of water leading to an increase in anomalous pressure. This in turn\u00a0lead to mass collapse and finally slope failure. The long term impact is felt through\u00a0deep rut on the hill side as a water escape route. In Nainital and Mussoorie, the garbage disposal slopes have become laden with huge mass of such material which\u00a0in the event of heavy rain may lead to a disaster of unimaginable proportion. The costs\u00a0entailed in the process of their removal are enormous which the local bodies cannot\u00a0afford to meet. The costs in terms of environmental loss and its long term impact\u00a0cannot be assessed by any measuring rod.<\/p>\n

The mighty perennial rivers like Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Mandakini\u00a0which are the life line of the Indo- gangetic plain are witnessing an unchecked ics. The crystal clear waters which were known to carry silt and\u00a0gravel have become the transport vehicle for post consumer plastic waste. Piles of\u00a0bottles and film plastics can be seen along the banks which remain littered for the\u00a0next rainy season. The pilgrims who endure hardships to satiate their spiritual urge\u00a0tend to forget that the discarded plastics will eventually land up in water bodies\u00a0choking the aquatic life system. Various studies have revealed that the immediate\u00a0affect of post consumer waste leads to elimination of zoo-planktons, affects the\u00a0breeding of fish and tends to damage the fragile balance of the water bodies.<\/p>\n

\"\"
plastic waste dumped on hill slopes being rummaged by monkeys in Uttarakhand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the hills reel under the onslaught of non-biodegradable plastics, the industry is\u00a0witnessing an annual growth rate of 20%. As per the current data of the plastic\u00a0industry Indians are consuming 18 million tons of plastic products annually which is\u00a0expected to reach 22.5 million tons by the year 2022. It is worth mentioning here that\u00a0about 50% of the net product will go in packing. It is high time that a comprehensive policy and cost internalization mechanism in plastic packings be initiated for meeting\u00a0the ever increasing costs of waste collection and disposal. Environment protection\u00a0especially of the Himalayas is everyone\u2019s responsibility and the plastic industry is no\u00a0exception to it.<\/p>\n

(Vipin Kumar is an eminent environmentalist who has worked on garbage management in the Himalayan region for past more than three decades.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Litter: Consumerism or Indifference Vipin Kumar Dehradun, Dec 6 The year 1862 is a watershed year in the modern history of mankind which witnessed the advent of plastics. Since then the material has been used in various ways , reaching\u00a0a stage where it is used in cutting edge technologies such as space programs, bullet\u00a0proofing and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,92,62,91,39,59],"tags":[109,896,101,479,898,102],"class_list":["post-2761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-featured","category-health","category-national","category-tourism","category-uttarakhand","tag-himalayas","tag-managing-plastic-waste","tag-mussoorie","tag-nainital","tag-plastic-waste-in-himalayas","tag-uttarakhand"],"yoast_head":"\nLitter: Consumerism or Indifference \u00a0 - Northern Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thenortherngazette.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/06\/litter-consumerism-or-indifference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Litter: Consumerism or Indifference \u00a0 - Northern Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Litter: Consumerism or Indifference Vipin Kumar Dehradun, Dec 6 The year 1862 is a watershed year in the modern history of mankind which witnessed the advent of plastics. 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