The world’s annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from
around 50 lakh tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 10 crore tonnes today. According
to the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 15,000
tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India every day, out of which 9,000
tonnes is collected and processed, while 6,000 tonnes is not collected. It was
this problem faced by ordinary citizens that disturbed Ashwath Hegde, a
Mangalore-born but now Qatar-based NRI entrepreneur.
In order to beat the plastic woes plaguing the world, Hegde, through his
company EnviGreen, developed a biodegradable plastic bag made out of natural
starch and vegetable oil derivatives — products that are non-toxic and can
consumed by plants and animals.
The bags can dissolve in room temperature water in 24 hours and dissolves in
15 seconds if placed in boiling water. The bags also take 180 days to
biodegrade, which means people can discard them without worrying about the
environment. However, the bags are still not available in India, although they
are being distributed in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The price of the bag is Rs 3. In
contrast, a plastic bag is Rs 2, while a cloth bag is anything between Rs 20
and Rs 70.
Source: The better India, 5th Dec. 2016
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