The Himalayan state that declared war on plastic bags | Amrit Dhillon

Swapping bags for banana leaves - and cloth sacks - the tiny Indian state of Sikkim has transformed shoppers' habits. Can Mumbai follow its example?As a boy growing up in Sikkim, the Indian state nestled below the Himalayas, Rajendra Gurung remembers how, before leaving the house to go shopping, his parents would always ask each other: "Have you got the bag?" Back then, no shopkeeper used plastic bags. Families took their own, made of cloth. Meat, fish and cheese came wrapped in a banana leaf, tied with bamboo twine. If people bought cooking oil, they took an empty bottle or can. Continue reading...