Plastic or paper bags are considered a big environmental issue in some developing countries and they are choking our planet.
Some countries ban the usage of these free plastic bags given by supermarkets. They even implement a levy or make the supermarkets charge their customers for such bags. As a results, it encouraged the consumers to bring their own bags and at the same time promoting recycling.
But that is not the case here in Kota Kinabalu where a shopper was barred from entering a hypermarket because she brought her own plastic bags. This was reported in a local newspaper today Sunday 26th July 2009.
The Government should organised a campaign to educate the consumers to use or bring their own bags when shopping at hypermarkets. An awareness campaign should be organised and the hypermarkets should come up with innovative ideas to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Alternatively, the hypermarkets should charge shoppers a small fee for plastic bags or paper bags and would reimbursed when the bags were returned or reused. This would perhaps be one of the ways to change the people's behaviour and get the maximum use out 'throw away bags'
It is also an incentive for people to pick up any discarded bags off the streets, as they can then claim back the deposits for themselves. With the introduction of this scheme, it would reduce the use of plastic and paper bags and at the same time increase the reuse of these bags.
A research and study done by the Scottish Executive in the United Kingdom discovered that in many aspects, paper bags have even caused more damaging effects to the environment than plastic ones. This is due to the effects of forestry and paper production.
Alternatively, the hypermarkets should charge shoppers a small fee for plastic bags or paper bags and would reimbursed when the bags were returned or reused. This would perhaps be one of the ways to change the people's behaviour and get the maximum use out 'throw away bags'
It is also an incentive for people to pick up any discarded bags off the streets, as they can then claim back the deposits for themselves. With the introduction of this scheme, it would reduce the use of plastic and paper bags and at the same time increase the reuse of these bags.
A research and study done by the Scottish Executive in the United Kingdom discovered that in many aspects, paper bags have even caused more damaging effects to the environment than plastic ones. This is due to the effects of forestry and paper production.
The study indicated that the production process for paper bags expels three times higher levels of climate change gases than the process for plastic bags, and has 14 times more damaging effects on fresh water due to the form of pollution called 'eutrophication'.
Actually the plastic bags the consumer use here are a symbol of the 'throw-away' culture permeating through our society. It is difficult and hard to change if the Government one day tries to ban or reduce the use of plastic or paper bags.
The 'throw-away' culture would cause millions of bags to end up as ugly litter and finally break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, sea and lakes.
Actually the plastic bags the consumer use here are a symbol of the 'throw-away' culture permeating through our society. It is difficult and hard to change if the Government one day tries to ban or reduce the use of plastic or paper bags.
The 'throw-away' culture would cause millions of bags to end up as ugly litter and finally break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, sea and lakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment