K S S Pillai
We often see photographs of employees of roadside eateries and restaurants cleaning utensils with impure water. They have fewer items to clean now, as the glasses have been replaced with 'use and throw' paper cups. Caterers have started to serve meals to guests in disposable plates, spoons and such things. When I drink tea from a paper cup, I feel happy that the bacteria in my mouth won't be passed on to other customers. Medical instruments like injection needles were already using the concept. Though it has made many happy, our planet has been crying due to the serious problem of pollution caused by such materials.
All were happy when light-weight plastic was invented. It was cheap and could be used in several spheres. Once thought a wonder, it has become a source of pollution. Though thin plastic bags have been prohibited as they cannot be recycled, news of factories clandestinely manufacturing them appears often in the media, and shopkeepers make their customers happy by handing over their purchases in the 'free' bags. The public throws them away with other wastes, least bothered about the pollution they cause. They end up in landfills or cause the death of domestic animals that fill their stomachs with them. There has been frequent news of waste mountains near cities catching fire and emitting toxic gas, driving people away for many days.
To curb pollution, beverages are served in some places like railway stations in kulhars - handle-less clay cups. Fired in a kiln, they are sterile and hygienic. They are unpainted and unglazed to avoid pollution. The drinks served in them are supposed to be suffused with an earthly aroma. It was also thought that they would create employment for rural artisans while combating pollution.
Several electronic devices have become a headache as they produce a large quantity of hazardous waste, which is disposed of in unscientific ways. Many shops keep bins to collect such dangerous wastes, but few use them.
The Prime Minister of India is seen picking up plastic bags and other wastes while on a morning walk along a beach. Though there is an urgent need for a 'Swachh Bharat', few contribute to the cause. Those habituated to defecating in the open are asked to use the free toilets with water connections built by the government. The habit dies hard, and most people enjoy relieving themselves in the open while using the toilets constructed by the government for other purposes. With open toilets in trains, railway lines are dirty. I have seen passengers waiting for the train to stop at stations to enter the toilets, making them stinking.
Rich countries transport polluting materials to faraway places and throw them into the sea. Sometimes, they pay the poor countries and get permission to dump them in their area.
It is said that plastic materials take thousands of years to disintegrate, but we throw them into water bodies like canals, rivers, and seas, where they sink away from sight.
Though old things can be repaired and used, people prefer new things. The raddiwallas who buy scraps have been doing a commendable job as some of the things they buy reach the recycling plants.