So the government is planning to ban plastic in Mumbai. After the floods on 26th July, they discovered that the reason behind the non-receding water levels were the huge amount of plastic, particularly plastic carry bags, that blocked the drainage. So the government announced its plan, and while the ban hasn’t been put into effect yet, most shop keepers and sellers are clearing away their stock and refraining from buying more. As a result now whenever you go shopping you have to remember to carry a bag with you, don’t expect them to give you bags.
But, as they say old habits die hard; and so it happened yesterday that while walking back from office, my mom called up and asked me to pick up some vegetables for the evening dinner. I sauntered into the nearby vegetable market and went about selecting some juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh green capsicums and some French beans (those particularly looked like having been painted green under the glare of the lamp covered with green gelatin paper). After having paid for it, the vegetable vendor asked for my shopping bag to put the vegetables, and…………then it hit hard, a shopping bag, when was the last time I carried one of those things. The vegetable vendor of course had no bags to even lend me one. Other shoppers standing besides me smirked and proudly handed out their shopping bags for their own purchases, a few of them mumbled comments to no one in particular about plastics and bans. I was at a loss at what to do, my handbag had just about space to stuff in two capsicums at the most, as the vendor suggested, if I did try carrying all of it in my hands, what chance did I have of reaching them home safe while navigating through traffic and humans on this busy stretch of road.
After brainstorming and looking around for options (I couldn’t spot even one of those regulars selling cloth or jute shopping bags), I hit upon a novel plan (or so I thought it was!). I had an umbrella (its still the monsoon season); I just turned it upside down and stuffed all the veggies down the folds of the umbrella. Then clutching the umbrella tight so that it didn’t open up I quickly made for my way home.
But, there were more challenges for me in store, and half way down the road it started raining. It rained and it poured and while at first I thought of seeking some shelter under some shop, the ensuing thunder and lightning told me this rain wasn’t going to relent any soon and I would be better off trying to reach home. To open the umbrella would be a major disaster and I could imagine all my luscious tomatoes and fresh capsicums rolling down the road. And so I walked, a funny spectacle, holding the closed umbrella tightly against my chest while braving the rains with a dupatta (piece of cloth) covering my head. There were people with umbrellas and people without umbrellas all walking past, and all stood for a moment and stared and this lone miserably drenched figure walking in the incessant rains with a closed (and suspiciously bulky!) umbrella held tight to herself..
Drenched and dripping I managed to reach home. And while my father stood wondering what made me fancy a rainy bath while carrying umbrella, I rushed into the kitchen rummaged for a shopping bag, stuffed it into my hand bag and then took a breather.
Now happy and dry it seems the whole experience has been, well, not a bad thing, actually it was quite funny; we laughed about it all through the evening. The plastic ban did make me realize how plastic dependent my shopping trips have been and though I personally still feel better waste management and using recyclable plastic is a far better option than completely banning plastic; I wouldn’t mind people getting more conscious about how plastic dependent our lives have been. Especially now that some really pretty jute bags have come into the local market ;-)
But, as they say old habits die hard; and so it happened yesterday that while walking back from office, my mom called up and asked me to pick up some vegetables for the evening dinner. I sauntered into the nearby vegetable market and went about selecting some juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh green capsicums and some French beans (those particularly looked like having been painted green under the glare of the lamp covered with green gelatin paper). After having paid for it, the vegetable vendor asked for my shopping bag to put the vegetables, and…………then it hit hard, a shopping bag, when was the last time I carried one of those things. The vegetable vendor of course had no bags to even lend me one. Other shoppers standing besides me smirked and proudly handed out their shopping bags for their own purchases, a few of them mumbled comments to no one in particular about plastics and bans. I was at a loss at what to do, my handbag had just about space to stuff in two capsicums at the most, as the vendor suggested, if I did try carrying all of it in my hands, what chance did I have of reaching them home safe while navigating through traffic and humans on this busy stretch of road.
After brainstorming and looking around for options (I couldn’t spot even one of those regulars selling cloth or jute shopping bags), I hit upon a novel plan (or so I thought it was!). I had an umbrella (its still the monsoon season); I just turned it upside down and stuffed all the veggies down the folds of the umbrella. Then clutching the umbrella tight so that it didn’t open up I quickly made for my way home.
But, there were more challenges for me in store, and half way down the road it started raining. It rained and it poured and while at first I thought of seeking some shelter under some shop, the ensuing thunder and lightning told me this rain wasn’t going to relent any soon and I would be better off trying to reach home. To open the umbrella would be a major disaster and I could imagine all my luscious tomatoes and fresh capsicums rolling down the road. And so I walked, a funny spectacle, holding the closed umbrella tightly against my chest while braving the rains with a dupatta (piece of cloth) covering my head. There were people with umbrellas and people without umbrellas all walking past, and all stood for a moment and stared and this lone miserably drenched figure walking in the incessant rains with a closed (and suspiciously bulky!) umbrella held tight to herself..
Drenched and dripping I managed to reach home. And while my father stood wondering what made me fancy a rainy bath while carrying umbrella, I rushed into the kitchen rummaged for a shopping bag, stuffed it into my hand bag and then took a breather.
Now happy and dry it seems the whole experience has been, well, not a bad thing, actually it was quite funny; we laughed about it all through the evening. The plastic ban did make me realize how plastic dependent my shopping trips have been and though I personally still feel better waste management and using recyclable plastic is a far better option than completely banning plastic; I wouldn’t mind people getting more conscious about how plastic dependent our lives have been. Especially now that some really pretty jute bags have come into the local market ;-)
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