This photo taken on January 10, 2017 shows garbage dumped by a lake in Bangalore. The surge in Bangalore’s population since the start of the 1990s has placed huge pressure on its municipality, which stands accused of failing to cope with the accompanying rise in plastic waste volumes.

Froth and fire: Bengaluru’s toxic lakes have been a decade in making

Bengaluru’s Varthur lake has been a festering body of pollutants for a decade now, a product of the city’s rapid expansion and a civic body’s inability to cope with the boom.

Bangalore generates more than 4500 tons of garbage every day and most of this waste till recently have been transported to landfills at the outskirts of the city at Mavallipura, Mandur. With no more landfills to go to at present and with an erratic garbage collection system, the people of Bangalore have begun to dump the waste at any street corner resulting in garbage strewn across the city. The ‘use and throw’ culture (a by-product of capitalism) that has been the norm for a long time is now turning into an environmental and a public health hazard with most people totally unmindful when it comes to disposing of waste. The malls and the supermarket have further contributed to this with the large-scale use of plastic. The main problem begins right at the households with most people mixing both the wet (organic content) and dry waste (inorganic) together (without segregating them separately) and thus resulting into a mixed waste. With the obvious difficulty in separating a mixed waste content, the civic administration and the government have been looking at all different solutions such as the highly polluting ‘waste to energy’ incineration projects, without addressing the problem at source.

The Karnataka Government on March 11, 2016 issued an official gazette notification stating a complete and total ban on plastic products in the State. The notification makes specific mention that plastic, no matter its thickness, will be banned across the State. The decision to ban plastic in the State was taken by the State cabinet and the legislature.

The recently issued Plastic Waste Management Rule 2016, Gazette by MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIIMATE CHANGE in India states that the use of compostable bags and products are allowed and the provision of thickness is not applicable when it comes to bags and products made from compostable materials. BioGreen has also received an approval for selling and marketing compostable products in India. The company has also received official approvals from pollution boards of different states to sell BIOGREEN compostable products where plastic is banned, offering a resourceful, ecological solution of the plastic crisis.

Each part of a BIOGREEN product is compostable! One hundred per cent environment friendly and edible to the planet. These products, once disposed, either decompose on their own or are broken down once they are in contact with the soil, humidity, water and microorganisms present in the environment within 180 days. All this, of course, takes place without leaving behind any toxic residue. This helps convert the decomposed product to compost or manure that in turn improves the quality of soil – encouraging agriculture and positively impacting the environment. BioGreen’s products causes zero stress on our environment which is already at a critical stage of being overwhelmed by human waste management. BioGreen products have already been welcomed by big corporate companies and retail chains in India and overseas including Mauritius, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

We appreciate the Karnataka government’s decision to ban plastic. We have damaged our environment to such an extent that we have reached a point of ecological crisis. Either we give back to Mother Nature or suffer the consequences. Compostable products are the first step in our journey to do just that. As the best alternative to conventional plastic products, the use of compostable products has even received the official gazette seal of approval by the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

As a partner is sustaining the environment, we invite all those who understand the impact of plastic pollution, thus join hands with us and become Green Warriors! We request each conscientious citizen of the country to support and respect the government’s plastic ban and do their best to protect and save the environment for coming generations.