The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : An opportunity to make use of environment-friendly material

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

An opportunity to make use of environment-friendly material

M. Raghuram

Paper bags are now in vogue and are equipped with strong string handles

There is a demand for 3,000 such bags a day
Each bag costs
75 paise

Trendy: A woman carrying a paper bag . — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Next time a shopkeeper packs your stuff in a polythene bag, say “No Thanks”. There is no need for you to become a conduit to add to the already burgeoning plastic pollution levels in the city. Instead, ask for a smart and crisp “newspaper bag”. Unsold newspapers are now being converted into trendy paper bags that could help reduce the use of environmentally hazardous polythene bags. Raddi (old newspaper) dealers in the city have seen an increase in the demand for old newspapers, the only condition being that the papers should not be crumpled. Bundles of unsold newspapers are returning to the market in the form of bags with sturdy string handles and some reinforcement at the bottom to prevent them from tearing. A bag can hold up to three kilos, and can be used at least five times” said Leela Mahadevi of Sultanpalya who had come to a drop off a bundle of newspaper bags at one of the malls in the city. “There is a demand for 3,000 bags a day, and some malls and shops are subscribing to the idea,” she said.

Outsourcing production

She is now thinking of outsourcing some of the production. She buys old newspapers at Rs. 5 a kg, and 20 to 25 bags can be made for a kilo of newspapers. Each bag costs 75 paise including labour.

Shantamma of Okalipuram has set up her own production unit with the help of micro-finance. She does not know much about the environmental character of the product, but says “it fetches me good money”.

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