A Market Research Project report

On

“To evaluate the level of awareness of the harms of polythene bagsAmong the people and

Determine the feasibility of introducing of paper/jute bags”

By Prashant Joshi

MMM II A

93152

Under the guidance of

Mr Ulhas Pramanik & Mr Ajit Borde

ASM’s INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

CHINCHAWAD, PUNE

UNIVERSITY OF PUNE

Research Objective:

“To evaluate the level of awareness of the harms of polythene bags

among the people and determine the feasibility of introducing of

paper/jute bags.”

Introduction:

This report revolves around very common issue of present industrial

framework that is global warming. Environmental pollution is the

problem of this era which needs immediate identification and measures

to resolve. Environmentalists are concerned about the governmental

policies about the pollution measures. Environmental pollution is going

to be a major dilemma of the future if it is not fixed timely. Every

individual or organization is concerned about their short-term gains. But

no one cares about the impact of their shorter gains on the longer

period.

In this report, we put a sincere effort to bring forth this serious issue of

the use of plastic bags that harms the natural environment. We tried to

determine the level of consciousness of individual about environmental

pollution. This report will help you understand the awareness level of

people’s concern about the global warming and how the polythene bags

affect our environment. What if the use of the plastic bags is

discontinued, what consequences we should ready to face.

This report highlights the problems and the harms of using plastic bags

in depth & role plastic bags play in our daily routine lives. A long

detailed personal and telephonic survey has been conducted for this

reason.

Overview of the Plastic:

Every year, around 500 billion (500,000,000,000) plastic bags are used

worldwide. So many that over one million bags are being used every

minute and they're damaging our environment. India's plastics

consumption is one of the highest in the world. Yet, precious little has

been done to recycle, re-use and dispose of plastic waste. Plastic bags

are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where

they take around 300 years to photo degrade. They break down into tiny

toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the

food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. The cows, buffaloes

& other milking animals accidently eat the plastic which causes problem

for them & for us also as the milk that we are consuming gets toxic, but

the problems surrounding waste plastic bags starts long before they

photo degrade.

It was World War II that placed plastics at the center of necessity. A

rubber substitute called vinyl was used by Allied troops for waterproof

tents and boots. It was only in the 1950s that plastics began to come

into wide use in international arena, yet within few years, production has

risen at an unparalleled rate. World consumption is now comparable

with that of all non-ferrous metals.

Forecasts concerning the production of resins indicate that the

economies of many developed and developing countries are

increasingly relying on the use of plastics. In this regard the most

intractable problem relating to plastics and the environment has been so

far their disposal. Land filling on one hand is increasingly seen to pose

problems of environmental impact, because the availability of suitable

sites is decreasing day by day. Moreover, the leaching of the plastic

additives into the ground waters is now being questioned. On the other

hand, uncontrolled burning of plastics including polyethylene in the

dumping sites and other areas is not acceptable environment-wise. The

controlled incineration of plastic waste is also raising concerns in some

cases.

Polyethylene materials are not bio-degradable. Whenever a

polyethylene bag is thrown away, it does not decompose through

natural process. It contributes to the accumulation of non-destructive

waste of permanent nature. If anybody looks at any garbage dumping

site, he will observe this fact that although other garbage matter get

decomposed and merged into the soil but polyethylene bags remain

intact with their different colors especially the black colored polyethylene

bags. Polyethylene remains intact in the soil and disturbs the flow of

nutrients to the soil and hinders entering sunlight. It destroys the

beneficial bacteria of soil and losses soil fertility. It hinders the way of

soil compaction, which in the long run effects the construction of

foundation of the different structure.

The use of polyethylene is not environment friendly. Medical reports find

it as an agent of cancer, skin diseases and other health problems. The

users are more exposed to these types of health hazards when

polyethylene is used to pack bread, biscuits, potato chips or other food

items. In the developed countries, food is wrapped in food-graded

plastic or polyethylene, but in Bangladesh this was not strictly followed

and sometimes colorants are used, some of which may be

carcinogenic.

Polyethylene industries for shopping bag production emerged in

Bangladesh in early 80's and within a decade the industry reached in

such a level that the jute bag production forced to be almost closed.

The use of polyethylene shopping bags had been so enormous that one

could find the polyethylene bags everywhere i.e. in the street,

dumpsites, drains, ditches, open-fields, roof tops, hanging from trees

and overhead cables, floating on ponds, canals, rivers.

Survey report showed that near about 10 million polyethylene bags

were used everyday and every year about 3000 million bags were

dumped in Dhaka City alone. The steadily growing use of polyethylene

bags posed an ominous environmental problem in the city as well as in

rural areas. This enormous use of polyethylene bags led to - severe

environmental impacts like soil degradation, loss of soil fertility, blocking

up of drainage and sewerage systems, causing water logging and the

spread of harmful microbes and bacteria. The worst example of adverse

effect caused due to polyethylene bags was the delaying process of

recession of flood water in Dhaka city during 1998, & 26th July 2005 in

Mumbai (India) & also other parts of Maharashtra, in which more than

1000 people were died & a huge loss occurred to state & its people,

Poly bag was also one of the several reasons.

One of the effective ways of management of polyethylene bags is

recycling/reuse of post-consumer polyethylene bags for other useful

purposes. But the state of recycling in some other countries again

posed some other environmental hazards and some means of

transmission of diseases. The burning of polythene in open air produces

the threat of poisonous gas like carbon mono-oxide, carbon-dioxide

hydrogen cyanide those causes health hazard to the people. The

people who are involved in collection of polythene bags are the most

vulnerable group.

Basic Terms

What is recycling? What can we do?

Recycling means that, we take products that have been used and turn

them into something else to use again.

Most of the things that we use every day are made from resources that

come from the earth, and that have been processed and turned into

other products. When we throw away these products (like a juice bottle,

for example), they normally end up in a landfill. Unfortunately, a lot of

the things that we use and throw away will never break down or

biodegrade. For example, when a plant dies, small organisms and

bacteria in the soil can break it down and return it into the soil to be

used by new plants. This process of decomposition is nature's way of

recycling. When we recycle items like a juice bottle, our wastes don't get

thrown into a landfill, but instead are re-used in other products.

Starting recycling programs at school is a great way help raise recycling

awareness in your community.

What is pollution?

There are many types of pollution happening today, even in your city.

One type of pollution we hear about a lot here in Santa Barbara is oil

pollution. This can be spillage or even leakage of processed oil into

oceans. Other types of pollution include air pollution (the layer of brown

clouds you see when you go to Los Angeles and other big cities).

Pollution from sewage and drainage into rivers and oceans also is a

serious problem for our environment. Finally, deforestation and industry

development can also be thought of as ways the environment is being

polluted.

How does pollution affect rivers, oceans, and our ecosystem?

Our rivers, lakes and oceans are affected by pollution in many ways. First and

foremost, the organisms that live in these places are often harmed by

pollution. The water can be polluted by chemical and product leaks, which

may cause the animals that live in the water to get sick. Animals that are high

up on the food chain can also get sick from toxic build up in their bodies from

eating other affected animals and plants. Air pollution also has very negative

effects on our atmosphere. There is a hole in our ozone due to pollution in the

air. If this hole gets bigger we won’t be as protected from the sunlight and its

heat. Many years from now this could pose a serious threat to humans.

Secondary Research

Ban on use of Plastic Bags

Background:

Used plastic shoppers are notorious for choking sewer, open drainage

system spoiling sanitation and creating an overall unaesthetic view of

environment. The practice of burning them on street sides at dump sites

produces dioxins and furans, which are excessively and extensively

being inhaled by human beings. Due to their extreme toxicity of human

system, they are responsible for producing serious diseases under

universally accepted international requirement, dioxins and furans are

required to be absolutely absent in air. Because of polyethylene the raw

material being on-degradable in nature, the plastic bag continued to be

present in the environment and contribute their undesirable impacts for

a much extended period. Since they are extensively used in cities,

therefore, these adverse impacts are extremely visible in urban areas.

Plastic bags are favored for a number of their desirable properties such

as low weight, durability, and for a number of their other end uses like

convenience in packing food stuff and other multifarious items besides

virtually no cast to the end user that is customer. Where, the very

characteristic cause tremendous rise in their use in day to day life there

at the same time unethical disposal of the used shopping bags adds to

the entire problem in totality. And the situation has appeared now in the

form of a menace to the environment in the form of choking of sewage

resulting in oozing out owe fully dirty water on streets making stinking

pools as good breeding grounds for a number of vectors of diseases

like flies and mosquitoes. These vectors spread diseases like cholera,

typhoid, diarrhea, awful odor, and contamination of drinking water thus

further spreading these diseases and even hepatitis B and spoiling

sanitation more dominantly in the bigger cities of India.

Efforts

From Australia to the U.K., and all across the U.S., politicians and

corporations are pondering banning or taxing plastic bags.

A hefty surcharge that began in 2003 in Ireland has spurred the public there to

spurn plastic bags almost completely in favor of reusable cloth totes.

Plastic sacks are also taxed in Italy and Belgium. Grocery shoppers must pay

for the bags in Switzerland, Germany, and Holland. Spain, Norway, and now

the U.K. are considering a ban or tax as well.

The political action in the U.K. on single-use plastic bags follows similar

gestures earlier this year in Australia.

There a national ban or tax is being hotly debated, though the state of South

Australia, which includes the city of Adelaide, has promised a ban on free

single-use bags by year's end no matter what.

The state's premier, Mike Rann, listed familiar reasons for the ban: The bags

contribute to greenhouse gases, clog up landfills, litter streets and streams,

and kill wildlife.

Banished Bags

Unsightly pollution appears to be behind China's January announcement of a

countrywide ban on the thinnest totes and a tax on others. It begins June 1,

two months before the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Taiwan taxes the bags, and the cities of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mumbai,

India, ban them to prevent flood-inducing storm-drain clogs during monsoon

season.

Once jokingly called the "national flower," thin plastic bags have been banned

in South Africa since 2003; thicker ones are taxed. Similar measures exist in

Eritrea, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

In the U.S., the cities of San Francisco and Oakland, California, ban the bags

and promote reusable and compostable sacks. Elsewhere in the state

supermarkets are required to take back and recycle the bags.

Similar take-back and recycle initiatives are on the books or under

consideration in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.

And some sort of action is an agenda item in seemingly every boardroom and

city hall across the U.S., according to Vincent Cobb, founder of Chicago,

Illinois-based Reusablebags.com.

The Maharashtra government on 24th August 2005, banned manufacture, sale

and use of all plastic bags, saying they choked drainage systems during

recent monsoon rains.

Environmental groups welcomed the ban, but said it wasn't enough. Plastic

manufacturers said 100,000 people would lose their jobs.

Manufacturers and stores selling plastic bags will be fined Rs 5,000, while

individuals using bags face penalties of Rs 1,000, then Chief Minster Vilasrao

Deshmukh said.

Chief Minister said the ban was prompted by the indiscriminate use of plastic

bags, which blocked sewage and drainage systems during record monsoon

rains in July. Flooding and landslides killed more than 1,000 people in the

state & the ban came into effect from September 24th 2005.

Other Indian states have already banned the use of thin plastic bags-- 20

microns or .002 centimeters thick-- used by shoppers.

Residents blame haphazard planning, bad drainage and poor roads for the

flooding and landslides.

Effects of Anti-polythene Campaign:

Polythene bags manufacturers and their trading bodies have started

approaching the city administration to get some relief in manufacturing plastic

bags, arguing that they use these bags to pack shipments for exports to other

countries and provinces where the use of polythene bags was yet to be

banned.

The closure of manufacturing plants in days of economic recession would

result in joblessness of hundreds of workers.

"The ban is long overdue and very welcome," said Debi Goenka, an

environmentalist with the Bombay Environmental Action Group. Bombay is

the capital of Maharashtra state.

"But to say the flooding was just because of plastic bags is stupid," Goenka

said. "This has to be a first step." Environmental groups have demanded

preservation of open spaces and regular cleaning of drains and garbage.

Arvind Mehta, managing committee member of the All India Plastic

Manufacturers Association, said more than 1,000 manufacturing plants would

be forced to shut down in the state, putting 100,000 people out of work.

"The government is passing the buck. We are being made scapegoats,"

Mehta said. "The waste management system and people's littering habits

should be corrected."

Viewpoint

The manufacturers of the plastic bags oppose the ban on plastic bags,

arguing that, employment of thousands of person depends upon such

cottage industries, which manufacture polyethylene bags. The ban will

render many people jobless. They opine that in absence of polyethylene

bags, if papers are to be used then, it will involve cutting of more trees,

which is not advisable, the argue that this issue is basically that of

proper collection of the solid waste. If the waste is collected by the

municipal agencies on diurnal basis, then, there would be no

polyethylene bags in dust bins. Consequently, bags will not get air born,

to create nuisance. Collection of solid waste on diurnal basis will have a

beneficial impact. If all the solid wastes generated are collected

regularly, then the nuisance of plastic bags will be minimized to a large

extent.

Benefits of the Paper Bag

• 100% reusable, recyclable and biodegradable.

• Easier to carry than plastic bags.

• Holds more items than plastic bags = fewer bags to handle.

• Environmentally preferred.

• Contains 40% post-consumer recycled material.

• A renewable resource - comes from trees.

1) Paper is made from a renewable resource, trees. We can plant more trees,

and we do!

2) Paper grocery bags are strong enough to hold up to 20 pounds of groceries

without breaking—and can be reused again and again.

3) Paper grocery bags are made by workers in the paper factory (and

recycled by paper mills here too).

4) You'll have plenty of containers to put your used paper, cans, or bottles in

for recycling.

5) Your groceries won't slide all over the car on the way home.

6) You can be part of the Billion Bags Campaign to reuse and recycle paper

bags and boxes.

7) Paper bags are the shopper's choice (according to a survey by Willard

Bishop Consulting).

8) Paper bags are biodegradable (a plastic bag would still be in a landfill

1,000 years from now).

9) The messages on paper grocery bags are printed with water-based inks.

These inks are safer for the environment and make is easier for paper mills to

recycle the bags into new paper.

Some facts about Paper Bags

Paper Grocery Bags Are Great Recycling Containers For:

1) More paper grocery bags (and lunch and shopping bags)

2) Small pieces of corrugated (cardboard) boxes

3) Household paper (mail, notebook paper, magazines...)

4) Cans, glass jars and bottles, and plastic bottles that don't fit in recycling

bins (in some towns, you can use paper bags to separate items inside

recycling bins, too!).

5) Recycle bags and boxes together at curbside or drop-off recycling

sites.

Suggestions

1) There is need to create an awareness and develop a thinking that an

individual made a promise to himself as

a) I promise to recycle all the paper products collected in my

community (such as paper grocery bags, corrugated boxes, newspapers, milk

cartons, cereal boxes, mail, office paper, magazines, and catalogs).

b) I know the paper I recycle is used as a raw material to make new

paper products, so it is important to recycle right. I pledge to pay attention to

my community's recycling rules.

c) Because paper grocery bags can be reused and recycled, I promise

to say "Paper, Please" at the grocery store

Primary Research

In our primary research we tried to find out the awareness level among

people.

In this regard we use different techniques for getting information. The

following four survey techniques were used in the research process

O Personal Interviews

O Questionnaire

O Observation

O Telephonic Interview

Research Findings

MALE FEMALE

45% 55%

The number of females are high than males

Consciousness about environmental pollution & agreeing that, plastic

bags are the cause of environment pollution.

Yes No

100% 0%

This means that, people are now more aware about our environment.

Frequency of Grocery shopping

Most number of people does the grocery weekly.

Do you think that decision to ban the use of plastic bag is good &

needed one?

Yes No

95% 5%

95% of people think that, decision to ban the use of plastic is good & needed

one. They have welcomed it.

Did you ever notice after using the plastic bag what you did of it?

It seems that maximum people are concerned & they know what they are

doing with the plastic bag; however there are some people who are not

concerned & few who don’t know

If yes, then what you did of it?

Throw in the Street 0

Keep with you for future purposes 16%

Look for dust bin to trash 77.7%

Not in list? Then…? 0

It seems that people are concerned towards the environment & they don’t

throw plastic waste in the open.

Have you heard of the ban on plastic bag in some areas of country or

worldwide and do you think that decision to ban the use of plastic is

good & needed one?

It seems that, people are aware about plastic ban & they have already heard

about it. They have also welcomed the decision of government to ban the

plastic bags.

By not Using the Plastic Bag…

You can tick more than one

Avoid the foreign exchange loss incurred on import

of chemicals used in plastic bags production.

4%

Encourage Domestic Energy by using cotton bag

that is produced with local material

64%

Generate employment opportunities in textile 32%

Maximum people wants to encourage domestic industry, which very good for

the country.

Should a limited use of biodegradable plastic be allowed in the interest

of common man, if complete use of plastic is banned?

Maximum people think that an alternative of plastic i.e. biodegradable plastic

or safe plastic should be made into use as they concerned towards

environment, but at the same time facing the problem also

What Difficulties you find in stopping the use of plastic bags?

• Availability

• Liquid carrying

• Reusable bags are left at home

• If any alternative is available then no difficulty

Can you say “NO” to plastic Bags & demand for other substitute?

Maximum people are ready to say no to plastic bags & at the same time they

are also willing to demand for alternatives but some of them are facing

problems.

According to you which are the best substitute to the plastic bag?

Paper bags 15%

Jute Bags (Cotton/cloth or Canvas) 30%

Both 55%

Do you suggest any other substitute?

• Wood Baskets

• Thick Plastic baskets

• If products are delivered at home no need for bag at all

Other Findings of the research are:-

People are conscious about the environment. They are now thinking towards

environment. They feel that, more awareness should be made in context to

environmental pollution that is caused by poly-bags.

However I enquired with some shopkeepers, they are also concerned towards

environment but at the same time they are also facing difficulty in handling the

customers. Giving them items in plastic bags was very helpful for them.

Some of the respondents feel that, plastic ban is not a way & government can

put some extra charges for poly bags, say Rs 2 for a poly bag. In this case

only needed one will take the plastic bag & unnecessary use will stop.

Paper bags are made from paper which comes from trees. Which means use

of papers also harms the environment. But if paper bags are made from waste

paper, like newspaper then it is ok.

The advantages of plastic bags are: - durable, easily available, handy, liquid

goods can be also kept.

Disadvantages of plastic bags are: - Harmful to the environment, blockage of

sewerage system.

Present Status:

The state government wants the plastic industry to be a little more

responsible. Following the pattern of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

in many European countries, the government is learnt to have told plastic

manufacturers to come up with solutions to tackle the menace of plastic bags

if they did not want them banned.

As the government has realised that banning plastic bags is not that easy, it

has been pursuing a more conciliatory approach with manufacturers. It is

learnt that even before the draft was prepared, the government has been

asking manufacturers to come up with a better solution.

The notion of EPR has also been mooted, but producers are not too keen on

being a part of the solution, said a government official.

"We are still waiting for them to find a way out instead of going for a ban which

is difficult to implement,’ he said.

Director of environment G N Varade, however, denied that the government

was shying away from the ban. "We'll screen the applications received from

the people on the draft notification and take a call on the ban," he said.

One of the solutions being mooted is to put up collection centers at locations

provided by the BMC and have NGOs running them.

The manufacturers are happy with the idea so long as they don't have any

role to play. But officials baulk at the logistics of this exercise if the

manufacturers stay away. The manufacturers, on their part, are keen to have

a ban on 20 micron bags continued.

"We have agreed to print our names on the plastic bags so it becomes easy

for the government to track the defaulter," said Kailash Murarka, of the All-

India Plastic Manufacturers Association.

What can be done?

O Restricted import of plastic waste, paring and scrap through import

policy.

O A continues awareness campaign through print media with a support of

NGOs for discouraging the use of plastic shopping bags, promotion of

alternative and its safe disposal.

O Under activity based capacity development ABCD project, one of the

objectives includes development of awareness campaign and other

strategies to address the management and safe disposal of plastic

wastes and shopping bags.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Market Research

(Answer the questions, tick or answer as per requirement)

Name (Optional) ______________________________________

Location ______________________________________

1) Age (Tick the appropriate option)

20 – 25 25 – 30 30 – 35 35 – 40 40 - 45

2) Education

Under Graduate Graduate Masters

3) Are you conscious about environmental pollution?

Yes No Don’t Know

4) Do you agree that plastic bags are the cause of environmental pollution?

Yes No Don’t Know

If yes, then what are your efforts towards environment?

5) Did you ever notice after using plastic bags what you do of it?

Yes No Don’t Know

If yes, then what you do with it?

O Throw in the street

O Keep with you for future purchase

O Look for dust bin to trash

O Not in list? then __________________________________________

6) Have you heard of the ban on plastic bag in some areas of the country and

worldwide?

Yes No Don’t Know

7) Do you think that decision to ban the use of plastic bag is good and needed

one?

Yes No Don’t Know

8) How frequently do you go for grocery shopping?

Twice a

day

Daily Twice

week

Weekly Monthly _________

9) By not using the plastic bags, we can *you can

tick more than one.

O Avoid the foreign exchange loss incurred on imported

chemicals used in plastic bag production.

O Encourage domestic industry by using cotton bag that is

produced with local material.

O Generate employment opportunities in textiles.

10) Should a limited use of biodegradable plastic be

allowed in the interest of common man, if complete

use of plastic is banned?

Yes No Don’t Know Strictly Not

11) What difficulties you find in stopping the use of

plastic bags?

12) Can you say “NO” to plastic bag at the time of shopping and demand

for other substitutes?

Yes No Don’t Know

13) According to you, which is the best substitute for plastic bag?

Paper Bags Jute/cotton/canvas/

cloth bag

Both

Do you suggest any other substitute?

_____________________________________________________________________

____

14) Do you think that there is need to launch the awareness campaign

concerning the harms of plastic bags?

Yes No Don’t Know

15) Do you think it is better option to bring your own shopping bag to

market?

Yes No Don’t Know

16) Please mention the advantages for using

Plastic bag Paper Bag Jute Bag

(cotton/cloth/canvas)

Please mention the disadvantages for using

Plastic bag Paper Bag Jute Bag

(cotton/cloth/canvas)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME

TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE

Summary and Conclusion

Our research topic was to find out the awareness level among people

that to what degree they inclined towards the environmental friendly

products. And in this regard are they familiar about the harms of

polythene bags. And whether, they want to have some other alternative

available to take part practically towards the betterment of environment.

Limitations in research:

We took secondary as well as primary research to find out the level of

awareness among people. The limitations that we faced during research

are mentioned below. Even though Time, Money and Resources were

the ultimate constrains of the research.

Secondary Research:

In secondary research we use different alternatives like;

Internet

Magazines

Newspapers

Books on environmentalism

And the limitations were;

O We could not get the sufficient data related to our own country.

O Some websites were out of services

O Problem of fit between the data available and data requires

O Geographical Locations were also one of constrains to know

about people perception and behavior about global warming and

environmental friendly products.

Primary Research:

Our primary research comprises of

Questionnaire:

We get the questionnaire from the students of IBMR and the employees

of Infosys technology. But the major problem we faced was;

Non-response error

Ignorance: People do not know much about the sensitivity

of the product but they try to reach very genius.

Like when they were asked whether do you agree that

plastic bags cause environment pollution? They replied

with positive node. But when their effort towards the

environment was asked, they were speechless.

Courtesy Biasness: The respondents did not answer what they

perceived based on their knowledge and perception; rather they

answered what we want.

Conclusion:

We conclude that whether the use of plastic bags is seriously injurious

for the environment but according to research there are some

advantages and disadvantages of polythene bags:

Disadvantages of stopping polythene bag use

The participants mentioned some difficulties in stopping polythene bag

use. Some shopkeepers said that a few shoppers refuse to buy goods

from them now, looking elsewhere for someone who will give them a

polythene bag. Shoppers also said that it is difficult to carry fish and

certain dry goods like rice and dal, and to wrap items to store in the

refrigerator.

Participants also said that they face problems when wishing to buy

something, if they do not happen to have a bag with them.

“It is impossible to take a bag with you to the office,” explained one

man. The men explain that now when they leave home, they must stop

and think, where am I going? Will I buy anything?” However, the general

consensus was that it is simply a matter of breaking a habit, and that

the difficulty will only last a few days.

“The difficulty will last a few days, but it will be good for the future.”

In general, participants also felt that while polythene bags are bad for

the environment, they are far more convenient than current alternatives.

One man in particular expressed a wish for biodegradable one-use

bags. However, others expressed the feeling that one-use bags are

always bad for the environment. They still take time to biodegrade, and

thus could still block drains. If they are produced with chemicals they

will be bad for the environment, and if they utilize imported materials,

then they will be a drain on the economy, as opposed to the use of jute

bags.

Advantages of stopping polythene bag use:

Some of the shopkeepers even expressed pleasure, complaining that

previously customers insisted on having a polythene bag with each

purchase—one banana, one bag; one egg, one bag. It is now easier for

them to refuse such demands. The participants seem to enjoy reviving

the use of jute bags.

One man expressed great pleasure at the ban, discussing the economic

as well as environmental advantages. He explained that since raw

materials are imported for production of polythene bags, and since the

bags are produced by machines and thus require little labour, there are

two economic disadvantages: loss of foreign exchange to import raw

materials, and few employment gains. He contrasted those problems

against the advantages of jute bags, which are produced with local

materials and employ far more people in their production

Recommendations:

To eliminate the problems being faced and to alleviate the solution, possible

recommendations are:

O Since, employment of many people depends on this industry, any

major action may render the people jobless, there is need to encourage

these people to adopt alternate substitutes.

O All solid waste generated, should be collected strictly on diurnal basis.

O The top three forth portion of the dust bins should be covered. This will

obstruct the flight of polyethylene bags.

O Options of biodegradable bags should be carefully considered.

O Since, the bags get air bone. Due its light weight the manufacture of

bags with adequate thickness is allowed to prevent its flight. The

Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s standard institution may prescribe the

thickness and the quality of the bags.

O Arrangements with plastic manufacturers may be made, who could set

up recycling centers, where they can buy the used plastic bags. These

can then be recycled.

The city government, along with the plastic manufactures may start a mass

awareness program on a large scale. This will, at least, prevent the house

wives from the throwing the plastic bags outside of their homes.

O LIST OF SOURCES

O RESOURCE CONTSTRAINTS

O ACCURACY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The natural environment has become an important strategic issue. Global

warming, bioterrorism, and increased pollution suggest that perhaps there is

now no greater threat to business and society than the continuous exploitation

and decimation of our natural environment.

Specifically we are going to bring in the issue of plastic (poly) bags; its threats.

And at the same time the need for the best alternatives. That maybe the

paper bag as well as the jute (cotton) bags. Since the topic seems to be and

actually is a very sensitive, it requires knowledgeable individuals and society

to understand and to create awareness and to tackle this problem

strategically.

The environmentalism is becoming common practice in developed countries

after a long and serious hard work to prepare the mind of people to identify

and understand this horrible issue. In countries like India, where it is still in

developing stage the whole country is suffering from the issue of Inflation,

financial and security concerns no single citizen from state heads to

environmental regulatory authorities to a common individual is willing to

consider this as a serious matter. Consequently we do not find so much local

work available to use as a secondary data. The recent ban on the use of

plastic shopping bags will help us finding the latest industrial updates. So far,

we have been surfing the national and international web sites for information

about the threats and problems resulted by the use of plastic shopping bags.

In a way we are trying to benchmark the developed countries’ work for our

use. Following are some URL’s and other sources we are consulting and

citing for the report.

O news.nationalgeographic.com

O www.dnaindia.com

O www.climatecrisis.net

O www.iso.14000

O www.globalfootprints.org

O www.naturalnews.com

O www.theviewpaper.net

O www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/24plastic.htm

O www.environment-agency.gov.uk

O www.google.com

O Strategic Management

By: Fred. R. David.

Many of above mentioned URLs are run by the international NGOs and

governmental institutions, almost all of them are updated regularly and the

information available and so far that has come to our notice is efficient,

accurate, and updated.

The search engine Google that is used maximum internet user is also

updated in every second, we are looking into it for further investigation of

related regulatory authorities and more concerns related to our topic for report

as well as for the purpose of educating ourselves. Finally the resource

constraints like time money will definitely lead to compromise on quality and

quantity. But the effort would be of the highest level with a clear intention to

bring rigorous, precise, accurate and objective sort of results