We will celebrate our Independence Day tomorrow. Drums and trumpets will fill the air along with march past commands and patriotic songs played at every institution for children practising their dance routines while national media will live stream the celebrations in various cities. As for the Tricolour, from small irregular vendors to big stationery shops, everyone has stocked up on mass-produced Indian National Flags. But, where will they be on August 16? If they are made of plastic, possibly they will land up in a garbage bin.
National symbol in the landfill
The story repeats itself every Independence Day. Cheap in price and quality both, plastic mini flags are found in abundance on or before 15th August in India, but they are hardly ever reused. As the nation marks the 76th year of its independence, it is about time that its citizens also free themselves from plastic flags. A huge chunk of the mini flags, bought to express one’s patriotism, eventually clogs up drains and landfills, destroying our environment and our country.
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MOEF&CC), through a notification in 2021, prohibited the Manufacture, Import, Stocking, Distribution, Sale and Use of the following Single Use Plastic items (i) Earbuds with plastic sticks, (ii) Plastic sticks for balloons, (iii) Plastic flags, iv) Candy sticks, (v) Ice cream sticks, (vi) Polystyrene (Thermocol) for decoration, (vii) Plates (viii) Cups, (ix) Glasses, (x) Forks, (xi) Spoons, (xii) Knives, (xiii) Straws, (xiv)Trays, (xv) Wrapping/ packing films around sweet boxes, (xvi) Invitation cards, (xvii) Cigarette packets, (xviii) Plastic / PVC banners less than 100 microns, (xix)Stirrers, and the ban came into effect from July 1, 2022.
Guwahati has implemented a ban on the sale and use of plastic flags ahead of Independence Day. The local shopkeepers in Ulubari, Silpukhuri, and Six Mile areas have already taken steps to work on it.
Alternatives to plastic flags are quite common, from paper to fabric. Fabric flags are available at Khadi India. Additionally, wood and metal flags can be found in the market in form of décor stands and badges/pins. Replacing plastic with these long-lasting materials will ensure that mindless wastage of resources is eliminated every year. Though it is an expenditure of a mere ten or twenty rupees, the waste created by production and buying of plastic flags is quite significant; even more unfortunate is the disrespect that the national symbol gets as it loses its value after being discarded after use just like any other piece of cheap decoration.
In fact, citizens must advocate and act for the availability of reusable Tricolours that are treated with respect and care on every other day of the year, not only on August 15. Alternatively, one may use seed paper plantable flags (available on Amazon.in) or the handmade paper ones that can biodegrade in a small space instead of becoming a part of large-scale household waste in municipal corporations. This Independence Day, let us celebrate with the truly Indian values of sustainability and zero-wastage.
You don’t have to wear a uniform to show your patriotism!
Also read Anokha Dhaaga: EmPowering lives, one stitch at a time
