Punjab to Odisha, single-use plastic ban has little effect in towns

Small businesses say they were not consulted about the restriction and they can't refuse customers

Eighteen days after India banned single-use plastic (SUP), Jalandhar’s Maqsudan Mandi vegetable market appears not to have got the memo.

“Customers have a cavalier attitude towards the ban. While some support the ban, others ask us to provide them with polythene bags. We are in no position to say no as it will affect our business,” said Suresh, a vendor in the market and who uses a single name.

“There are three main issues with the ban. Firstly, a lot of vendors, especially in small towns, are not aware of the ban. Second, even if they are aware, they are short of options. Lastly, the lack of checks by the authorities is also enabling shopkeepers to continue the practice,” he said.

Also Read | Single-use plastic ban comes into effect: List of banned daily-use items

India on July 1 banned SUP on items ranging from straws to cigarette packets to fight pollution, dismissing the requests of food, beverage, and consumer goods companies to hold off the restriction to avoid disruption. 'Business Standard' spoke to shop owners across the country and found out about the issues they face after the ban.

Rakesh Keswani, who owns a shop in Hazratganj, an upscale market in Lucknow, echoed Suresh's sentiment and has called out the move. “As a retailer, it was a great loss for us. The government has not managed to put an end to the production of SUP to begin with. The ban has severely affected our sales as people have limited alternatives to SUPs. On top of that, all the other options are costly. Even our margins have taken a 10-15 per cent hit,” he said.

Kishore Ninave, a jewellery shop owner in Nagpur, believes that it will take businesses time before they stop using SUP. “Shop owners need to get rid of the old stock before they buy or resort to something new. It is a slow process and these changes take time,” he said.

“More often than not, people buy jewellery to gift people. With the ban on plastics, we will also shift to using paper gift wraps. The cost of paper gift wraps is higher than plastic ones. Even though it won’t have a major impact on the clients’ pockets, we buy the products en masse. This will push up our costs,” said Ninave, referring to what he is paying for gift wraps and paper bags.

Tamal Kishore, who owns a flower shop near a temple in Mathura, says his operation cost will increase two-fold if he offers paper or cloth bags to customers.

“We are facing trouble dealing with customers. Plastic bags were cheap. If we start using paper bags, the prices will increase. People are not willing to pay double the amount. The majority of the customers aren’t even aware of the ban. Either we lose customers or our money,” he said.

In Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar, the municipal corporation is cracking down on the use of SUP but the authorities in the state’s smaller towns are yet to follow suit.

Ratikanta Biswal, a grocery shop owner in Balasore some 200 km south of Bhubaneswar, said he hadn’t seen anyone complaining about the use of SUP. “I still have a sizeable stock left with me. However, local factories are not taking fresh orders. I will switch to substitutes once the current stock is exhausted,” he said.

Businessmen like Keswani in Lucknow said the ban could have been implemented better.

“The world is moving towards an eco-friendly approach to everything. As responsible citizens, even we want to contribute to the cause. But these things take time. Approach and ideas need to be collectively altered so that the change is smooth. For example, to start off, shutting down plastic manufacturing units could have been the first step. After that, the government should have given us three months to get rid of the stock we had,” he said.

The disposal aspect of the existing stock is also an issue for shop owners like Kishore and Ninave. Many of them say that they gave away some of them to ragpickers and gave away some to the clients.

“Objects like books and tiffins are wrapped in plastic and sent to us. We are like the middle-men in this system. We get products wrapped in plastic and give it away to our clients. The customer uses the plastic when he/she goes shopping and more often than not, the plastic is circulated back to us. The ban would have been better if a convenient disposal system was in place for everyone,” said Ninave.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has suggested a cut in goods and services tax (GST) on raw materials used to produce alternatives to SUP. Shop owners believe that will help little.

“Cloth bag vendors are aware of the ban and have started charging us twice the amount they used to charge earlier. Even if the GST is cut on some alternatives, we are not in a position to argue,” Kishore said.

Most shopkeepers agree with the move to curb the use of plastic, but realise that it comes at the cost of their earnings.

“We appreciate the initiative by the government. Even we want a better future for our kids. But what good will it do if it affects our livelihoods and wages? We can’t think of everyone and go to sleep with an empty stomach,” Kishore said in Mathura.