The days before Plastic!
I was reading Nelson Mandela's A Long Road to Freedom. After his 27 year long imprisonment, when Madela visited his home town, he was dismayed to see plastic bags and litter, spoiling this once serene hometown. And he mentions how he went away before plastics and when he came back it was shocking to find this new thing and to see it littered pretty much everywhere.
How did this happen - how did we let this little(convenient) monster in?
Before plastics became mainstay:
Milk was delivered to the doorstep in bottles or one collected it from a common collection center.
Yogurt was/is made at home, so yogurt pots are not a menace.
One carried bags to the grocery stores, and whatever was needed was packed in Paper and coir thread. For oil, one took steel containers.
No shampoo, cosmetics in plastic
Soap came in bars wrapped in paper.
No diapers, baby food, buggies
No restaurant take-ways in plastic. Again one took containers or the food was wrapped in bananan leaf and paper.
No special chemicals for house-cleaning etc - so no plastic containers.
At home, steel or other metal containers were used to store the groceries including the "Anjala Petti" for spices.
Drinking water: one used a 'Kooja' , bottled water was yet to make its appearance.
I remember until I was 15 or so, plastics were not that wide spread or widely used. It has been just in the last 10 ior 15 years that it has become ubiquitous.
When I viisted Guruvayoor in November 2011, a notice on the walls caught my attention: It said Guruvayoor - plastic carry bag free zone. And wherever we went, there were no plastic bags, one had the option of Jute bags priced at Rs.3.
Back in Trichur, I encountered the same in many places. I was elated. These small towns were setting an example, doing something to combat the menace.
DO SOMETHING SMALL TODAY - carry a bag and say NO to plastic bags!
How did this happen - how did we let this little(convenient) monster in?
Before plastics became mainstay:
Milk was delivered to the doorstep in bottles or one collected it from a common collection center.
Yogurt was/is made at home, so yogurt pots are not a menace.
One carried bags to the grocery stores, and whatever was needed was packed in Paper and coir thread. For oil, one took steel containers.
No shampoo, cosmetics in plastic
Soap came in bars wrapped in paper.
No diapers, baby food, buggies
No restaurant take-ways in plastic. Again one took containers or the food was wrapped in bananan leaf and paper.
No special chemicals for house-cleaning etc - so no plastic containers.
At home, steel or other metal containers were used to store the groceries including the "Anjala Petti" for spices.
Drinking water: one used a 'Kooja' , bottled water was yet to make its appearance.
I remember until I was 15 or so, plastics were not that wide spread or widely used. It has been just in the last 10 ior 15 years that it has become ubiquitous.
When I viisted Guruvayoor in November 2011, a notice on the walls caught my attention: It said Guruvayoor - plastic carry bag free zone. And wherever we went, there were no plastic bags, one had the option of Jute bags priced at Rs.3.
Back in Trichur, I encountered the same in many places. I was elated. These small towns were setting an example, doing something to combat the menace.
DO SOMETHING SMALL TODAY - carry a bag and say NO to plastic bags!