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Single-use plastic is only a part of what is truly a massive challenge, and that is the management of all kinds of plastic waste. But it is good to begin with single-use plastic, its large and growing volume adds enormously to the total plastic waste. The growing volume, to a large extent, is because of rising e-commerce in India.

People buy from companies like Amazon.com and Flipkart.com, that use single-use plastic (cling film, bubble wrap, etc.) for disposable packaging. Both the companies have made a commitment to phase out their use of single-use plastic, but this is not likely to happen anytime soon.

Ever since plastic was invented by John W Hyatt in 1869, many more inventions of synthetic polymers followed, plastics have been an integral part of human lives, contributing much to the convenience and ease of modern living because of the pliability, flexibility, durability, and lightness of the material.

Plastics are used riot only in airplanes, computers, cars, trucks, and other vehicles but also in everyday use items such as refrigerators, air-conditioners, furniture, and even casings for electric wires, to name only a few.

The problem is that plastic does not decompose naturally and sticks around in the environment for thousands of years. Safe disposal of plastic waste is, therefore, a huge challenge worldwide.

Close to 20 states of India have imposed a partial or a total ban on single-use plastics at one time or another. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh opted for complete bans, while others including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha have tried partial bans. Plastic bags have been banned in even a larger number of cases. The bans have by and large not been successful owing to poor state enforcement capacity.

Plastic carry bags pose a special problem. Although they are strong; lightweight and useful, and can be saved cleaned and reused many times, this is mostly not done because they are available very cheap and are, ‘therefore, not valued (often shops give plastic carry bags for free). They become effectively single use plastics.

A compulsory charge by retail stores on carry-bags has proven most effective in reducing their use sans a ban. In Ireland, a minor charge added to every bill saw a 95% reduction in demand for such carry-bags, as most shoppers began bringing in their own reusable grocery-bags.

In India, the Plastics Waste Management Rules 2016 included a clause in Rule 15 calling for explicit pricing of carry bags, which required vendors to register and pay an annual fee to the urban local bodies. But lobbying by producers of plastics meant that this clause was removed by an amendment in 2018, that was never put up for public debate, as is mandatory.

Multiple use plastic is a better alternative to single use plastic, but there is a problem with it. What is that problem?

A) The can cause contamination if used multiple times

B) They become effectively single use plastics

C) They pose health risk, if used multiple times

D) They do not pose any problem according to the passage