The bane of the plastic bag
This reader is happy to ditch plastic bags in favour of other recyclable material to save the environment from further ruin.
By Fanny Bucheli
Did you know your car would drive 11 metres with the petroleum needed to produce one single used plastic shopping bag?
The Federal Government has been imposing fines on households who fail to separate their waste into recyclable and non-recyclable garbage for one month now. How is this new ruling working out for you so far?
For the diligent separators among us it is quite obvious by now that the less packaging we carry home, the less trouble we have getting rid of it all at the end of the day. The ultra-thin grocery bags are one of the main culprits here.
In China, the plastic bag impact on the environment has become so severe, that it has obtained its own term, ‘white pollution’, to describe everything from inadequate disposal to clogging drains to release of toxins into the air and into the human food chain.
Malaysia is definitely trying to tackle the plastic bag issue before it gets completely out of hand. How often have I found myself standing at the cashier’s on a Saturday slowly realising that I was not going to get bags for my groceries, at least not for free. Much more important than the tax is the, maybe self-imposed, shame as I perceive the ever so subtle look of disapproval from said cashier. “Really? You had to remember one thing today, one thing!” they seem to shout on the inside.
Did you know about 100,000 marine creatures die every year as a result of eating or being tangled in plastic bags?
Like anyone else, I don’t like being put on the spot, but I do agree that the short moment of unease helps me to focus on the bane of the ban (of the bag). It helps me to realise that often a bag is entirely unnecessary. And as plastic bags have gone from a normal part of any sales transaction to a discouraged vice, it is with growing inner righteousness that I declare, “don’t need a bag,” loud and proud, every chance I get to simply shove my new acquisition into my, usually oversized, handbag.
Obviously, I don’t cram milk, yoghurt, steaks and prawns into my designer leather bag. Meanwhile I have an entire collection of fancy cotton bags and wicket baskets at my disposal. I will even admit that I beam like a proud parent when the sales clerk comments on my taste and sense of fashion regarding my daily selection of carry-ons. I feel truly welcome at my local grocery shop when the teller asks “did you bring your strawberry today”, referring to my red, foldable pouch.
Did you know that a plastic bag is used for an average of 20 minutes, but can take up to 1000 years to decompose in a landfill?
Am I a silly housewife with an obvious shortage of real issues in my life? Maybe, but I will insist that, while bans and taxes have a positive effect, real change for our future and for the future of our children will only take hold if, as a community, we have been involved in the decision making process and therefore feel a form of ownership of the project. If a shopping bag needs to become a fashion accessory and a status symbol, so be it.
Did you know that Denmark has the lowest plastic bag use in Europe, with only 4 bags per person per year?
Fanny Bucheli is an FMT columnist
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