Up against a plastic wave

IT IS all about alternatives to plastics, coir brushes and ropes, mango leaf `thoranams', banana leaves and plates of arecanut bark, not to mention the mundane broomstick and the `goli' paneer soda. It is all under one roof with a palm frond exterior, and will move from spot to spot, school to school taking the message against plastics to the people.

No. This is not some green effort by any NGO, but the brainchild of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) which is doing some aggressive plainspeak on the evils of excessive use of plastics.

Needless to say, the mobile exhibition mounted on a 30-feet trailer was attracting large Sunday crowds at Elliots Beach, inquisitive children, eager mothers and fathers taking a cool stroll, all gathering at the one-stop display on traditional alternatives.

Enter through the ramp and we find Mr. P. Radhakrishnan, a TNPCB employee saying in Malayalam that his `Teekadai' is very eco- friendly. ``E teeshoppil plastic cuppugal illa'', he says showing his glass cups.

Next is the fruit stall. The no-list shows plastic nets to hold fruits, plastic baskets and the yes-list displays fruit bags of hosiery material. Checklists show nylon ropes-cloth ropes, plastic bags-palm leaf bags, plastic buckets and kudams with stainless steel substitutes and mud pots, `Donnais' made of mandarai leaves, nylon floor brushes, plastic dish scrubs versus fibre of ribbed gourd, bamboo mats and their nylon counterparts, stainless steel cloth hangers instead of plastic ones, fresh flower garlands instead of plastic ones, bamboo lamp shades and eco-friendly shops with glass containers instead of PET bottles.

Everyone, from flower vendors to the `Sundal' sellers, strollers on the beach don't miss the exhibition and Ms. Anne Josephine of the TNPCB points out that on Saturday visitors were trooping in as late as 11 p.m.

Students like Akshay who came with his mother were listening to Ms. Sheela Rani Chunkath, Chairperson, TNPCB and asking questions on the time taken for items to degrade naturally. The answer: Banana peels - 4 weeks, Paper Bag - 1 month, Cotton Rag - 5 months, Wollen Socks - 1 year, Wood - 10 to 15 years, Leather Shoe - 50 years, Tin Can - 50 to 100 years, Aluminium - 200 to 500 years, Plastic Bags - One Million years, Styrofoam Cup - Eternity and Glass Bottle - Unknown.

Event managed by Mr. Ashok Arumugam, the TNPCB plans to convert their own laboratory trailer for a permanent mobile exhibition. The exhibition will now carry the message of plastics, toxins, dioxins, carcinogens and other facts and figures about plastics to each school.

By Akila Dinakar

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Section  : Southern States
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