After deliberating over it for a few years, Mumbai, rather Maharashtra banned use of plastic last year in a panic reaction to the July 2005 floods. They lightened things a bit by making it a thickness driven ban, but plastic carry bags are still banned.

These plastics were mentioned to be the main culprit for clogged and choked storm water drains. Mumbai folks say they already see some effect of the ban – city looks less dirty now. (Though this blogger doubts if the thickness driven ban is going to help in keeping the drains clean and un-clogged)

Talking about Bangalore, since we cannot prevent our beloved city-loving policy-bashing ever-so-caring citizens from dumping plastic-packed garbage in the drains, how about doing the more practical thing? Just ban plastic carry bags here.

Parts of Bangalore do get flooded (see that picture from JP Nagar last year) whenever the rains get heavy. And environmental side effects of plastic are rather well known and documented. A blanket ban may be impractical as Mumbai figured out. Distribution of milk can get expensive without the use of plastics. Use of anything else, say paper, for distributing milk makes adulteration that much more possible.

Quick google tells me that Karnataka is not new to bans on plastic. Bangalore has talked about this ban in the past. Starting this year, Kodagu district (Madikeri) is enforcing a ban on use of thin plastic bag. (I haven’t been to Madikeri this year to see if this is actually being implemented or has made any difference.) I have also noticed these bans at smaller levels, like in Jungle Lodge resorts, and at the Mysore Zoo.