Point: Plastics/Plastic bags are harmful to plants and the soil

Counter Point: "Saving The Planet With Plastics".
Plastics are vital elements in the high-yield farming that can make rooms on the globe for both people and wildlife. Far from being an insult to the environment, plastics can do a great deal of environment good through agriculture. Plastics, too can save wild life by raising crop yields and cropping intensity.

Point: Plastics / Plastic bags are harmful to plants and soil.

Counter Point: "Saving the planet with plastics".
Polyethylene Sheetings/Films, Mulching Films (Laid Atop the Soil) promote rapid crop development, protect tender young seedlings, promote transplantation, prevent weeding without pesticides/insecticides, reduce water losses/evaporation, are important in arid land farming, help reduce soil erosion, reduce rotting in fruit/vegetable crops, ensure safer and more effective use of fertilizers.

Soil fumigation covers: Combat nematodes/subsoil pests, seal in soil fumigant, reduce chemical usage.

Green house covers: Less expensive and less damage prone than glass sheets, tailored structures for dramatic increase in yield, productivity and quality (Horticulture and Floriculture), latest technologies permit use of sea/saline water for indoor crops.

Silage Covers: Protect green foliage for livestock, replace expensive traditional silos and barns.

Nursery bags: Help in afforestation programmes.

Canal Linings: Help in reducing water evaporation/seepage losses and conserve water for agriculture.

Plastics protect plant life in multiple ways: Plastics prevent massive deforestation by offering wood substitutes e.g. furniture, building materials, crates. Plastic pipes are used extensively in Irrigation and Water Management, Food Irrigation, Sprinkler Irrigation, Micro Irrigation (Drip/Trickle) etc. China uses one million of PE in agriculture applications alone.

Point: Plastics are not recyclable

Counter Point: Plastics are 100% recyclable via various routes: Mechanical recycling: Plastics can be recycled several times into economically useful low cost products e.g. Footwear, mats, sewer pipes etc. Waste plastics are also recycled without sorting into synthetic lumber/wood products like rails, fencing, posts, benches and land scaping products, plastics can be thermally recycled/incinerated to recover energy, plastics can be chemically recycled to recover monomer or reuse. In India we already recycle 60% of plastics from both industry and urban waste stream vs. world average of 20-25%.

Point: Plastics deplete precious and scarce fossil fuel

Counter Point: The different uses of commercially produced oil. Plastics use globally only 4% of commercially produced oil. The rest being accounted by transport, energy and others. Infact plastics add value and extend life of fossil fuel instead of burning it directly.

Point: Plastics are toxic and are not safe for usage

Counter Point: Plastics are used world over safely for personal care products, packaging of food and medicine, invitro medical applications and for child care products like toothbrush, toothpaste tube, shampoo bottle, milk pouch, edible oil container, ice-cream pack, blister packaging for tablets and capsules, medical disposables- IV bags, blood bags, gloves, heat valves, hip joints, toys, diapers, etc. Food and drugs authorities worldwide permit use of different plastics in various applications. Industry needs to adhere to prescribed standards.

Point: Plastics bags contain plasticizers

Counter Point: Plastics bags are made from Polyethylene (PE) which is a polymer of pure carbon and hydrogen. The material by itself is soft in nature. No plasticizers are used/required for any polyethylene application including poly bags. The compaign that plastics bags contain plasticizers is a malicious canard. The problem of lack of public awareness and scientific temperament. Industry needs to develop appropriate communication programmes.

Point: Plastic bags contain titanium dioxide and lead based components which are toxic and dyes used in coloured bags cause severe health hazards

Counter Point: Natural colour bags are made from virgin polyethylene; these do not contain any titanium dioxide or other pigments. Only milky white coloured bags contain titanium dioxide via masterbatch. Titanium dioxide is a harmless inorganic compound used as a whitening/colouring agent in many products of daily use-cosmetics, medical tablets, paints and printing inks besides plastics. The use of titanium dioxide is permitted by BIS for food contact applications. Most of the pigments used for making bags are organic in nature. Use of lead or cadmium based compounds does not arise at all. The inorganic pigments used in plastics do not contain lead or cadmium. Such pigments have been phased for other uses also. Organic pigments which are used are compatible with the polymer to get bonded. They cannot leach out. Industry has accepted to use natural unpigmented carry bags for food contact applications. Recycled bags will be coloured (using BIS approved pigment ) for other applications.

Point: Cadmium used in plastic bags is bioaccumulative and toxic. Plastic contain 54 potential carcinogens or cancer causing agents

Counter Point : The additives used in plastic bags are mainly antioxidants. There is no cadmium in either polyethylene or additives. Plastics does not contain cadmium and they are not bioaccumulative. Plastic bags does not produce any obnoxious or toxic fumes as such or upon burning. There is no single plasticformulation/compound/application which contain 54 potential carcinogens or cancer causing agents.Misinformation campaign misleads the public.

Point: Plastics disposal by burning causes co-poisoning, endocrinal damage, hormone disruption, multiple cancer and affect human fertility

Counter Point : Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene which consist of carbon and hydrogen only. When burnt under controlled conditions, polyethylene release harmless carbon dioxide and water vapor - same components found in the air we exhale when we breathe. Any material - be it plastic paper, firewood, cloth etc. When burnt under uncontrolled conditions may lead to incomplete combustion and generation of carbon monoxide (CO) and dioxide etc. Plastic bags in municipal solid waste streams improve the calorific value/energy content for use as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for incineration - a common practice in major cities in Europe and Asia. For Indian economy we recommend mechanical recycling of plastic bags as the first priority. As a second priority we recommend adoption of advanced (Clean and green) incineration technologies to recover energy. Burning of polyethylene does not cause endocrinal damage, hormone disruption, multiple cancer and human fertility. Plastics are even used in controlled release of drugs for in vivo (oral) formulations. Misinformation campaign misleads the public.