Plastic

Plastindia 2009 - trade show in New Delhi .

"Politicians have gone overboard " Profound words from Arvind Gupta , President of Plastindia . This is a statement one would find hard to disagree with . Politicians have indeed gone overboard . But Mr Mehta says this in the context of governments contemplating / enforcing laws to ban / reduce plastic . The plastic industry folks know more than consumers that plastic bags take hundreds of years to degrade . 

"Put a man outside with a paper bag , let it start raining . When the rain hits the paper , everything falls out " - Ridwaan Arbee , South African plastic bag manufacturer . The issue is not a simplistic choice between paper and plastic .

Mr Mehta apparently has a pancea for the plastic problem "Western countries should find a way to convert them back to oil " Really ? Why should "western countries" alone have to figure solutions ? Is the plastic industry going to sit on it's rear waiting for a solution to land on their lap ? 

If this is the quality of thought and leadership in the plastics business then the magnitude of the problem it poses to mankind should be no surprise .