On Thursday, a reality check revealed how few were aware of the impending ban on single-use plastic, a few others prepared, and some sceptical of its success. There were also those who said switching to eco-friendly alternatives would cost them more, which in turn would have to be passed on to the consumer.
“Corn is sold in paper cups and only the spoons are plastic. Since I usually maintain a minimum stock and don’t overstock, it’s not an issue if they ban it. But the price of what I sell will increase,” said Dilip Kumar, a sweetcorn vendor on M.G road.
‘”Kachori is sold in paper cups, but I put a plastic layer also above the paper so the chutney doesn’t leak. Now, we will have to use only paper,” said Rakesh Misra, a kachori seller in Hulimavu.
It is not just street vendors who expressed difficulty in making a quick switch. A popular restaurant on Sampige Road uses plastic for certain kinds of packaging. Manager Ramprakash Ballal elaborated on how change in packaging would lead to price hike. “Currently, we charge about ₹4 to ₹5 for packaging. Paper packaging is more expensive, so the price will go up,” he said.
Some others seemed more open to the idea of the shift. Rishi Ashok from a popular dessert place in Jayanagar said: “We have plastic spoons because of the logo on top of the spoons, but we have asked the company to change it to wooden spoons.”
There are others who said they had shifted to sustainable alternatives even before the ban. Sai Prakash, a vendor in V.V. Puram, said since his store is in a plastic-free zone, they use leaf and paper plates.
Many café and restaurant owners, such as Sinto Scaria, manager of a cafe in Jayanagar, have switched to a no-plastic policy. “We use wooden spoons and forks for parcels and I don’t think it is very expensive to switch to this because it only costs 60 to 70 paise and it is better for environment.”
