Sustainable development is the organizing principle for meeting human development goals while simultaneously

sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the
economy and society depend. The desired result is a state of society where living conditions and resources are used to
continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable
development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations.

Importance of sustainable development

Plastic info

What's sterile, strong, and everywhere around us? Plastic. Used in everything from food containers to shoe soles, this
popular polymer is quickly revealing itself to have adverse health effects.

Pros and cons of plastic

Pros
 The properties of plastic allow us to do things to run and maintain a safer, more economical and easier society that
many other materials can’t
 Not all plastics are single use or short use – some plastics, like some construction plastics, last decades (so the use
we get out of them is great compared to other materials)
 Provides a lower cost alternative to other materials for uses like packaging
 Plastic might take up less space in landfill than other materials (some sources say plastic take up 7 times less
space than paper).
 Plastic can be used for waste to energy and incineration waste disposal (i.e. it can be burnt for energy)
 Some plastics don’t produce toxic fumes when incinerated like other materials
 Some sources say – if there was no plastics packaging available and other materials were used, the overall
packaging consumption of packaging mass, energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would increase
 Using plastic (which can be light and strong) for packaging can mean we save on transport costs, but also
transport emissions, because vehicles are carrying lighter weights
 The production of plastic can use less than half of the energy some other materials require to produce
 Plastic helps prevent food waste (by conserving fresh food longer). Less food waste means less deforestation, land
clearing and agricultural chemical inputs
 Plastic helps with hygiene and safety in society for humans (with food, and medical waste for example)
  Plastic used in textiles helps us save a lot of resources compared to using cotton and wool or some other land
grown fibres
 Plastic is used in industries and products like plumbing and piping everyday to help with human sanitation and
hygiene
 Plastic parts in products like automobiles make them lighter and more fuel efficient
 There’s still a lot of potential to better recycle and re-use the plastic we are producing
 There’s still a lot of potential to develop technology to produce more eco friendly and sustainable types of plastic
(like bio plastics for example)
Cons

Plastic bags are bad for the environment for many reasons, which include:

1. they are not biodegradable, Instead, they break up into smaller pieces of plastic until eventually becoming plastics
dusts.

2. people may lose them causing them to blow around (litter)

3. they are dangerous to small children

4.animals that ingest them may become sick and / or die

5. making them contribute to the global emissions.

6. can end up at sea through garbage dumps at seaside

7.they are recyclable but people need to take them and reuse them or donate them to thrift stores to be reused versus
throwing them away.

8. it takes oil to produce them and it takes more oil to recycle them than it does to produce.

9. Burning plastic results in air pollution and toxic ash.

Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is the introduction of plastic products into the environment which then upset the existing ecosystems in
different ways. These pollutants cause environmental degradation and also affect different living organisms and their
habitats negatively. When plastic products accumulate in the environment, they begin to cause problems for wildlife,
humans, and other living organisms. They create conditions that are not favorable for healthy living and proper growth.
This is what is essentially referred to as plastic pollution.

Plastic is a necessary evil. You can hardly do away with it. The amount of plastic that is disposed off every year can circle
the earth four times. Every day we come across plastic in various forms such as garbage and grocery bags, bottles, food
containers, computer keyboards, plastic mouse, coffee cup lids and other such products. Though plastic products are very
convenient to use, they play a harmful role in polluting the environment. Till the year 2000, the amount of plastic that was
manufactured was far less as compared to that made in the first decade of this century.

Wildlife is Paying a Heavy Price

The chemicals which are released from plastics into the water and the atmosphere contaminate the fishes and as a result
the plastic chemicals are entering the food chain. Fish in the North Pacific ingest around 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic
every year causing intestinal injury and death.
Floating plastic bags are also mistaken as food by the sea turtles. Ingestion of plastic can lead to blockage in the gut,
ulceration and even death. Due to the ingestion of plastic, the sea birds consume less food as the storage volume of the
stomach is getting reduced and as a result they starve. Marine animals like Hawaiian monk seals (which are on the verge of
extinction) and stellar sea lion ingest and get entangled in plastic.

Impact of Plastic on Human Health

Pollution caused by plastic is not only harmful for marine life but is also affecting health of humans. The harmful chemicals
like PCBs, DDT and PAH, which get absorbed in the plastic debris that floats in the sea water, have a varied and harmful
range of chronic effects like endocrine disorders. The toxins are transferred in the food chain as they get absorbed in the
animals’ body after they eat the plastic pieces. Human beings consume these contaminated fish and mammals.
Plastic pollution is affecting the global economy. It is destroying the fishing and aquaculture industries. Apart from this, the
tourism industry is also adversely affected as the beaches and oceans have been transformed into landfills.
According to the UN Environment Programme Executive Director Ached Steiner, “Marine Debris – trash in our oceans – is
a symptom of our throw-away society and our approach to how we use our natural resources.” It has been found that an
average person produces half a pound of plastic waste everyday. So, it is no wonder why the oceans are being filled up with
plastic debris. It is time the government takes stringent steps to overcome the problems before it spirals out of control.

Swachh bharat abhiyan

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) or Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to
2019 that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, towns, and rural areas. The campaign's
official name is in Hindi and translates to "Clean India Mission" in English. The objectives of Swachh Bharat include
eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and
establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring toilet use. Run by the Government of India, the mission aims to
achieve an "open-defecation free" (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi,
by constructing 90 million toilets in rural India at a projected cost of ₹1.96 lakh crore (US$30 billion).The mission will also
contribute to India reaching Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), established by the UN in 2015.
The campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is
India's largest cleanliness drive to date with three million government employees and students from all parts of India
participating in 4,043 cities, towns, and rural areas. Modi has called the campaign Satyagrah se Swachhagrah in reference
to Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha launched on 10 April 1917.
The mission has two thrusts: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan ("gramin" or 'rural'), which operates under the Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation; and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan ('urban'), which operates under the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
Problems with disposal of plastic
Plastic is a polymer which means that its molecules are created with many atoms that create strands. The plastic
molecules cannot permeate in other material such as soil and food products. To provide plastic with some of its
mechanical properties, it is mixed with certain chemicals, these chemical can seep into food and when they are plastic is
thrown away it seeps into the environments like soil and water contaminating it with cancer and other disease causing
agents. Plastic is also not biodegradable which mean that it cannot be broken down into smaller molecules by mother
nature rather it can survive for hundreds of years. This is why plastic packaging is discouraged by many environmental and
environment related organizations. And it has become a disposal problem.
Maharashtra plastic ban

Here are the five things about the plastic ban in Maharashtra everyone should know about:

What Does The Ban Include:

The ban is on items like

 Plastic bags with handle and without handle

 The disposable products manufactured from plastic & thermocol (polystyrene) such as single use disposable dish, cups,
plates, glasses, fork, bowl, container
 Disposable dish/ bowl used for packaging food in hotels, spoon, straw, non-woven polypropylene bags, cups/ pouches
to store liquid
 Packaging with plastic to wrap or store the products
 Packaging of food items and food grain material
The Ban Applies To:
The regulations for the ban are applicable to

 Every person
 Government and non-government organisation
 Educational institution
 Sport complex
 Clubs
 Cinema halls and theaters
 Marriage/celebration halls
 Industrial units
 Commercial institutions
 Offices
 Pilgrimage organisers, pilgrimages and religious places
The ban is also applicable for hoteliers, dhabas, shopkeepers, malls, vendors or sellers, traders, manufacturers and
transporters. Places like market, tourist spots forest and reserved forest, eco-sensitive areas, all sea beaches, all public
places, bus stands, railway stations in the State of Maharashtra are included in this ban.

Fines And Punishment:

Violators will be fined Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 10,000 for first and second time offence. Whereas, a third-time offender will be
fined Rs. 25,000 and can also face three months imprisonment.

Things Exempted From The Ban:

The plastic bags or plastic that is used for packaging purpose of medicines is exempted for now. Compostable plastic bags
or material used for plant nurseries, horticulture, agriculture, handling of solid waste are also in the exempted list.
However, these bags / sheets shall have printed guidelines and a message on it – “Use exclusively for this specific purpose
only”.

The plastic cover / plastic to wrap the material at the manufacturing stage or is an integral part of manufacturing is also
exempted. However, guidelines to recycle or reuse such plastic shall be printed prominently on the cover and material.
Last but not the least, food grade virgin plastic bags not less than 50 micron thickness used for packaging of milk is also
exempted from the ban.

The Plan Of Action:

Minister Ramdas Kadam highlighted a series of actions the government is taking to implement this ban successfully,
informing the netizens about the pan of action, Mr Kadam said,

As a substitute for plastic carry bags, we are trying to produce more and more cloth bags. The government has
collaborated with various women self-help groups. We have funded an amount of Rs. 5 crores for the cloth initiative.
He further added,

There is a state-wide ban on the thermocol used for decoration in wedding and important events. Lastly, for now there is
a full ban on small water bottles, in three months duration the government will put a ban in place for large bottles as well.
Apart from these announcements, Municipal Commissioners, Deputy Municipal Commissioners, Shops and Establishment
Officers and Inspectors, District Collector, Deputy Collector, Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad; Block Development
Officer, to name a few are responsible for putting in place a system in the state to ensure the plastic-ban.

Alternatives of plastics

1. glass

Glass bottles and jars potentially are 100 percent recyclable, and the glass in them can be reused endlessly, without any
loss in quality and purity. Glass manufacturers welcome recycled glass, because when it's used as an ingredient in making
new glass, it requires less energy in furnaces.

2. reusable shopping bags

3. Plastic Additives

While some people are busy developing plastic substitutes, others are bent on making conventional thermoplastics
biodegradable. How? By throwing in additives called prodegradant concentrates (PDCs). PDCs are usually metal
compounds, such as cobalt stearate or manganese stearate. They promote oxidation processes that break the plastic
down into brittle, low-molecular-weight fragments. Microorganisms gobble up the fragments as they disintegrate, turning
them into carbon dioxide, water and biomass, which reportedly contains no harmful residues.

4. milk protein

Casein-based plastic has been around since the 1880s, when a French chemist treated casein with formaldehyde to
produce a material that could substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell. But although it's ideal for jewelry that even Queen Mary
admired, casein-based plastic is too brittle for much more than adornment.

5. grape waste
an Italian company, Vegea, is using the grape waste to make a synthetic leather that could replace vinyl imitation leather,
and also into fabric for clothing.

6. liquid wood

a promising bioplastic, or biopolymer, called liquid wood. Biopolymers fake it; these materials look, feel and act just like
plastic but, unlike petroleum-based plastic, they're biodegradable. This particular biopolymer comes from pulp-based
lignin, a renewable resource.

7. PCL polyesters

they aren't as versatile as aromatic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used to make
water bottles. But since aromatic polyesters are completely resistant to microbial breakdown, a lot of time and effort is
being pumped into finding viable alternatives in aliphatic polyesters.

8. PHA polyesters

"Naturally produced polyesters" may sound like a phrase lifted from a marketing campaign, but feed sugar to certain
types of bacteria and you've got yourself a plastic production line.

That's the case with polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polyesters, the two main members of which are polyhydroxybutrate
(PHB) and polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV). These biodegradable plastics closely resemble man-made polypropylene. While
they're still less flexible than petroleum-based plastics, you'll find them in packaging, plastic films and injection-molded
bottles.

9. starch based polymers

As a totally biodegradable, low-cost, renewable and natural polymer, starch has been receiving lots of attention for
developing sustainable materials. When it comes to replacing plastic, however, starch can't cut the mustard; its poor
mechanical properties mean it has limited use for the sturdy products that plastics generate.

How plastic ban can hurt the economy

How Plastic Bag Bans Impact the Economy. Proponents of plastic bag bans may mean well, but product bans and taxes
can increase costs for consumers and businesses, creating taxes and fees that hurt business owners and shoppers who can
least afford to pay them.
Impact on trade

The Plastic industry in the country employs about 40 lakh people which include more than 30,000 processing units.
Around 85-90 percent of which are small and medium – sized enterprises. A ban on the plastics could easy affect
industry, posing question on the trade and employment.

Best for Branding

Plastic bags offer the easiest way for printing the business logo, company name and other relevant information.
Printing cost is very low compared to paper and cloth bags.

Cheaper than Paper Cloth Packaging

A piece of plastic bag will cost you no more than 10-15 paise which is much cheaper than a paper bag costing 20-25
paise per piece. This means that purchasing plastic bags in large quantities will be beneficial for small business and
improves profit margins.

Size and compact

Plastic bags are easy to open, pack and transport. That is the reason why they are used widely in logistic and retail
industry. In contrast, reusable cloth bags consume more space and are quite heavy.

the NCPA survey said that stores under the bag ban also experienced a 10% reduction in employment, while employment
in stores outside of the ban slightly increased. Villarreal said that was particularly "alarming."

"We often hear about the environmental effects of plastic bags, but the economic effects are generally ignored," she said.
"When you think about the unemployment rate in this country, any negative impact on employment is something to take
notice of."

The U.S. plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector employs more than 30,000 workers in 349 communities across
the nation, according to the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an organization representing the plastic bag
manufacturing and recycling sector.

Conclusion

While the notification was passed in March, the government has revised it multiple times over the course of three

months. Many in the state are still awaiting a clarity on how the mechanism will it work.

The government has come up with ‘Buy Back’ policy where the stall owner is expected to offer money in return over the

plastic bottle deposited by the user. While the state government is expected to repay the amount shelled by stall owners
in payback, licensees claimed no official communication has been received. “Without a sufficient number of crushing

machines at stations, disposing of plastic bottles would not be possible. With only four days left for the ban, we are not

sure as to what has to be done of the available bottles,” Amit Mittal, proprietor of three stalls at railway said.

On the other hand, the dairy operators in the state have been ordered to put in place a buyback mechanism for plastic

milk pouches till July 11. Besides this, they are also not allowed to use plastic bags less than 50 microns thickness to

package the milk. They should print a buyback price, of not less than Rs 0.50, for the pouches. Officials of the Maharashtra

State Cooperative Milk Federation, an apex federation of district and taluka-level milk unions, said that they have written

to the state dairy development and environment departments seeking more information. “We have asked for clarity on

how to set up the recollection mechanism and how the refund system will work,” said an official from the federation.

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher (Name of the teacher) as well as our principal (Name
of the principal)who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic (Write the topic name),
which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and i came to know about so many new things I am really thankful to
them.
Secondly i would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited
time frame.