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FEATURE: Say no to plastic bag
Gone are the days when our grandmothers used cloth bags and straw baskets to carry the grocery while going around in the bazaar. For small items there were brown or newspaper bags. But now whether you buy cloth, fruit, meat, braids or buttons, the shopkeepers only use plastic bags for the items.
Invented in Japan in 1963, polythene bags were introduced in Pakistan in the 70s. Due to their convenience and lower price they instantly became popular with consumers and shopkeepers. As the demand increased, more and more factories were set up which gradually reduced the use of paper bags, reusable baskets and bags made of cloth and straw.
Although very popular due to their convenience, polythene bags are thrown away in dustbins after being used. Loaded with garbage, the scavengers and the burrowing animals tear them apart to scan through in case they can lay their hands on any useful item. Since they are light in weight, they blow away with the wind and end up at different places.
People learnt that re-cycled polybags contaminate eatables leading to dangerous impact on food items. Due to lack of composting ability, they are burnt, produce smoke, and cause respiratory diseases. Improper disposal by municipal corporations result in environmental degradation and poor civic conditions like choking of sewers, etc. Ethylene forms the basis of the class of plastics known as polyethylene, which cannot be degraded.
Generally low-density polyethylene is used to produce plastic bags, from gaseous ethylene under very high pressures and temperatures. By the time the public became aware of their health hazards and environmental impact, it was too late.
In its efforts to stop the use of polythene bag, to start with the Ministry of Environment in the mid 90s banned the sale, manufacturing and use of black polythene bags all over the country. Simultaneously a ban was also imposed on the import of polythene waste, which is still on the negative list.
The manufacturers of plastic bags oppose the ban and argue that it provides employment to thousands of people and the ban will render thousands jobless.
To discourage its use, efforts are also being made to make it uneconomical. It was decided that specification of polythene bags should be described by Pakistan Standard Institute with emphasis on adequate thickness so that the bag may not blow away with wind and at the same time enhance its economic value.
The bags floating on Lyari and Malir rivers find their way to the sea. It is here that they become a problem for the Pakistan Navy. Sometime back a directive from Commander North Office put a stop to the use of plastic bags in the small Naval shopping Market in Islamabad. The shopkeepers were ordered to stop the use of polythene bags and since then have completely switched over to paper bags. Initially they faced some inconvenience due to weak paper bags but then ordered some durable paper bags which are now in use. This is a small example. If it can be implemented in one shopping area, it can be at other places as well.
Officials at the Ministry of Environment insist that garbage collection system has to be improved and efforts have to be made for this on a collective basis. “It is an issue of efficient collection and disposal of garbage by the municipal authorities. If the management of garbage is made effective, the menace caused by polythene bags could be eliminated,” says Asif Shuja Khan, Director General Environment Protection Agency.
In order to resolve waste problems in a city, support from city residents is indispensable. Therefore, it is important to follow the three R’s in daily life. The first R is Reduce. Let’s reduce what produces waste. For example, refuse excessive packaging. At the same time reject plastic bags. “Each bag you get from the market is added to the amount of garbage at home. Take your own bag,’ says Mr Akio Ishii, a Japanese expert of solid waste management who visited Pakistan. Mr Akio Ishii gave examples of My Bag Campaign started by the Japanese in 1994 with the motto “Let’s go shopping with your own bag.”
The movement called on residents to take their own shopping bags and businesses to reduce plastic and paper bags for packing. The campaign provided an opportunity to rethink the lifestyle that unconsciously increases the amount of waste. Due to this campaign Tokyo recorded a 20 per cent reduction in waste over a period of nine years. However, despite the reduction in the volume of waste, resolving the waste problem remains a great challenge for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The Second R is Reuse. Do not throw away used articles consider reusing them. The third R is Recycle. Consider recycling waste as resources. For example, sorting newspapers and magazines and putting them out to be collected for recycling. If they are mixed they cannot be recycled.
We seem to be doomed to sink in a sea of polythene bags, unless we put our foot down and learn to say “No.” We have to find alternatives to eliminate them. But most important of all and the crux of the problem is the need to raise public awareness. Bring up a culture and mobilize people through attitudinal change and education.
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