Written by: Murad Maqsood
Shopping could be possible without money but not without shopping bags. These
disposable plastic bags have become so inevitable that life without them seems
impossible. Since the invention of plastic earlier this century, it has become a
popular material used in a wide range of unique and pioneering applications.
Plastic is used to make, or cover around many of the items we buy or use.
Plastics are widely used as they are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, strong
and durable. Plastic is accessible, lightweight and quickly discarded. Its long
life assures it survives in the environment for extended periods where it can do
great harm. Unfortunately these same desirable characteristics make plastic an
overwhelming pollution problem. The problem comes when we no longer want these
items and how we dispose of them. Every year millions of discarded plastic
shopping bags end up as litter in the environment when improperly disposed of.
Due to their durability, plastic bags can take up to 100 years to decompose. As
they slowly decompose, plastic bags break into tiny pieces and vampire lethal
chemicals into soils, lakes, rivers, and oceans. On land, plastic bags are one
of the most prevalent types of litter in populated areas, becoming an eyesore to
local residents. At their worst, plastic bags can block drainage systems and
contribute to flooding, as occurred in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998. When plastic
bags are washed out to sea, they create a threat to animal life. In the decades
since plastic bags first came into wide use, there has been a dramatic increase
in the quantity of plastic bags found floating in oceans around the world. Once
in the ocean, these bags can strangle wildlife or, if ingested, can choke or
cause wildlife to starve to death. Some marine animals including sea turtles and
dolphins have been killed as a result of ingestion of plastic marine litter.
Littering is often a bigger problem in developing countries, where trash
collection infrastructure is less developed, than in developed nations, however
once plastic bags are swept out to sea they can travel long distances in ocean
currents. Some of the harmful effects of plastic bags:-
1) Every year more and more plastic bags are ending up littering the
environment. Plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and
streets. Taking action in March 2002, Bangladesh was the first Asian country to
ban all polyethylene bags in Dhaka, after they were found to have been the main
culprit during the 1988 and 1998 floods that submerged two-thirds of the
country.
2) Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic
bags. Plastic blocks their intestines and leads to slow starvation. Others
become entangled in plastic bags and drown. Because plastic bags take hundreds
of years to break down, every year our seas become home to more and more bags
that find their way there through our sewers and waterways. About 100,000
animals such as Dolphins, Turtles, Whales and Penguins are killed every year due
to plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food and
therefore die. A recent study concluded that in excess of 100,000 marine mammals
die unnecessarily each year as a result of plastic pollution.
3) One of the worst environmental effects of plastic bags is that they are
non-biodegradable. The decomposition of plastic bags takes about 1000 years.
Plastic does not easily decompose and requires high energy ultra-violet light to
break down, therefore the massive volume of plastic waste in the worlds'
streams, rivers and oceans is steadily increasing. Plastic is now found in
virtually all the oceans and rivers of the world, even the most inaccessible and
once pristine.
4) Petroleum is required to produce plastic bags: Since we have been using this
non-renewable resource increasingly for our requirements like - Factories,
transport etc. The whole world grinding to a half, if the supply of petroleum
were be turnoff.
Plastic bags are either restricted or completely banned in more than 25 percent
of the world. Belgium, Italy (total ban since January 1, 2011), Ireland and Hong
Kong have legislation discouraging the use and encouraging the recycling of
plastic bags by imposing a fixed or minimum levy for the supply of plastic bags
or obliging retailers to recycle. In Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa and
Thailand, plastic bags are banned. In the United States bans were imposed on
local level. Similar bans on municipality level were imposed in India, Mexico
and UK. With the increase in environmental awareness, it has become painfully
evident that there is more that we can do to create a sustainable society. The
need to apply various measures to save earth has become even more urgent as we
continue to inch towards an obvious disaster that we have created for ourselves.
Following are some alternatives to avoid plastic bags:-
1. Donate old news papers and magazines to small scale institutes that cut these
old papers in to paper bags and packets.
2. Use a wicker basket.
3. Offices can distribute canvas bags as New Year gifts instead of diaries and
other sweet nothings.
4. Better still buy a foldable shopping trolley.
5. Nylon bags can be used and reused several times.
6. Ladies can fold a cotton bag or two in to their purses which can be used to
quench their sudden urge for shopping.
7. A tote bag can make a good substitute for holding the shopping. You can keep
the bag with the cahier, and then put your purchases into it instead of the
usual plastic bag.
8. Recycling the plastic bags you already have is another good idea. These can
come into use for various purposes, like holding your garbage, instead of
purchasing new ones.
9. Educate the local retailers on the ill effects of use of plastics.
10. Insist your local retailers to use plastic bags of thicker variety if at all
he has to use.
While governments may be working out ways to lessen the impact of plastic bags
on the environment, however, each of us should shoulder some of the
responsibility for this problem, which ultimately harms us. If every one of us
would take a few little steps, make a few different choices and consciously
believe our impact on the planet, there may be a way to restore the world to its
original beauty and resources.