Looks like the city's war against plastic is going to be long-drawn. Over a year after the sate government announced a ban on plastics, around 24% of college-goers — who are considered torch-bearers of a nation — are not even aware of it.
A survey conducted by St Xavier's College revealed that around 45% of college students still use plastic in college, while the figure is at 52% for schoolchildren. Even though several schools have taken up initiatives to make the city plastic-free, the survey found that around 67% and 55% of students do not participate in such activities in colleges and schools respectively.
The survey was conducted by a group of 11 students who are currently pursuing their first-year Bachelors in Arts (FYBA). The survey titled, 'Plastic policy and its efficiency' was conducted on a sample of 500 students in city-based schools and colleges.
From June 23 last year, the state government enforced a ban on plastic after issuing the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (manufacture, usage, sale, transport, handling, and storage) notification. As per the notification, violators will be fined Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for the first and second-time offense. A third-time offender will have to shell out Rs 25,000 and may also face imprisonment for a period of three months.
Following the ban, schools and colleges initiated several activities to make students aware of the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. However, more than half of the students did not bother to participate. What's more surprising is the fact that 24% of college-goes are not even aware of the plastic ban.
The aim of the survey was to also examine the extent to which the ban has been effective in the city.
"We chose this topic for two reasons — to sensitize students on long-term negative impacts of non-degradable plastic products and to make them understand the nuances of the policies and challenges faced in execution," said Dr Avkash Jadhav, head of History department.
Though the figures are discouraging, the fact that the number of students participated in awareness programmes still outnumbers the ones who did not.
"During the survey, I learnt how difficult it is to stay away from plastics which has been absorbed into our increasingly plasticized lives. However, we have to do it for the environment, no matter how difficult it is. We have very little time to protect our environment," said a student.
