Starting today (June 1), the law provides for a ban on the use of plastic bags. A few days ago, Prime Minister Rama said that from this Wednesday begins a new era for the country, as such a decision is expected to significantly affect the protection of the environment and the lives of children.
But what impact does their use have on the environment around us and our daily lives? Why is a decision like this far more important than we think?
On average, 500 billion plastic bags are still used worldwide. More than 1 million bags per minute. What we need to know is that plastic bags take many years to "disintegrate" as they can not achieve complete decomposition. The average time of using plastic bags is 12 minutes and then they are thrown away, but it takes +1000 years to disintegrate.
Toxic substances are released into the soil when plastic bags are in contact with sunlight and, if plastic bags are burned, they release a toxic substance into the air causing ambient air pollution.
Consequently, due to the accumulation of carcinogenic ingredients , the mass use of plastic bags can also lead to serious carcinogenic diseases. Plastic bags that occupy tons of acres of land in the world emit dangerous methane gases and carbon dioxide and other equally dangerous substances during their decomposition phase.
What remains of plastic bags poses a serious risk to the environment, human and animal health, so the decision to ban them must be taken seriously.
You know that animals often confuse plastic bags with food and consume them, thus blocking the digestive process.
Plastic bags pose a threat not only to marine life but also to agricultural land. There is a need to minimize its use to minimize the consequences left by plastic waste. This means that awareness should start with modifying our daily habits, not to use plastic when there is a better alternative and use it only when it is strictly necessary.
At the end of the day, we must remember that a law prohibiting their use to minimize the consequences is not enough. Everyone should first educate themselves and not act to avoid the prescribed fine or punishment, but to contribute to the lives and future of their children.
