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AROUND THE WORLD 1: Plastic Bags Banned

Pollution is an important topic all over the world, but for the western Indian state of Maharashtra, it has gotten out of hand. Pollution from plastic bags has become so bad in this Indian state that the government has issued a ban on the sale and use of plastic bags.

Property damage and disease are two of the biggest problems that have stemmed from improper disposal of plastic bags in Maharashtra. In July of 2005, floods broke out all over the state and claimed the lives of many. Officials say that the plastic bags added to the flood problems by clogging their drainage and sewer systems. This led to stagnant and contaminated water, which caused many waterborne diseases and made hundreds of people sick.

The ban has already gone into effect, but the Indian government will wait one month to make it final. They believe that this is the best way to curb some of their pollution problems, and similar bans have been placed on other Indian states in the past. Other states, such as Mumbai, also suffer from pollution due to improper disposal of plastic bags.

While selling and using plastic bags will no longer be allowed after this ban is in place, manufacturing plastic bags will still be legal. The plastic industry is very popular in India, and many plastic bag manufacturing companies are located there. After the ban, these companies will still be allowed to sell their bags to other countries, but not within the state.

--Written by Wendy Owen

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