This day is celebrated every year on 3rd July internationally to encourage the masses to stop the plastic bags use for the sake of environment. It is an unofficial holiday which is only meant to put an end to giant trash production which is non biodegradable as well as harmful to the living beings.
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Need of the Initiative For Plastic Bag Free World
Use of plastic bags is posing a great threat to environment and marine life. Everybody in the world is using this carrier without having thought about its impact on nature. It is seen that every individual visiting to shops and stores brings plastic bags to home whether it is for grocery or for any other shopping, this carrier contains all our purchased things and reaches our home. After that we just throw it away after emptying it. After that these used bags become litter on Earth which are of no worth anymore.
The environmental problems caused by polythene bags
- Plastic is non-biodegradable As the nature of plastic is not Eco-friendly so it doesn’t dissolve into soil and remain lying on surface for long period of time. According to research, these polythene bags are used only for 25 minutes but we do not think that it will take hundreds of years to degrade and will put harmful effect on environment.
- Plastic trash is creating huge amount of garbage. Nobody is thinking that this short time or single use bag is such a danger for us and it is ironic that this short time use of plastic carrier is creating non disposable amount of garbage and it is causing a big issue of garbage clearing as world is producing tonnes of garbage every year which is impossible to dispose off.
- Filling the landscapes and harming marine life.The use and throw of plastic bags is also creating big problem of litter because today almost all the all natural places like ponds, rivers, seas are clogging up with polythene bags and polluting water sources due to which marine life is facing great life threat because sometimes the marine creatures think these bags as their food and ingest it. This ingestion harms these lives and kill them. Along with this, plastic also release harmful toxins into water which are equally dangerous for water bodies. In big cities and towns, the floating plastic bags are causing problems for drainage system as well.
- Plastic bags also kills cattle The stray mammals like cow and other animals sometimes eat plastic bags and it block their gut which finally takes their lives. It is often that we see the cows are wandering around the litter spots. In this way, it also affect the food chain systems. So this initiative of International Plastic Bag Free Day is started to wake the people about the harms of plastic bags use because it is needed now to think and react on this big environmental issue. Bag Free World has created this event to give awareness to people to cease the use of plastic bags because if this one day will make people realized that this single use bag can get rid from our vision but not from our planet from 100-500 years and will continuously put hazardous effect on nature then definitely the purpose of this day will be served. The ban on plastic bags exists but it demands strict law enforcement.
How to celebrate International Plastic Bag Free Day?
This day is mainly evented to deal with problems of plastic bags generated pollution. So step forward to prevent the use of these bags will be meaningful if we devote our time and efforts to shun the use of plastic bags.
There are number alternative to plastic bags which should be opted.
Amazing ways to reduce the usage of plastic bags
1. Time to take initiative – Firstly we should start it from our self. We should carry our own bags of cloth or jute to carry the shopped items. It will not force the shopkeeper to offer you the plastic bag and sometimes many retailers give some interesting discounts and offers to such shoppers who carry their own bags. For this, you can make your own bag with some crafty ideas which will look cool and give you stylish look and satisfaction of carrying your own carrier bag. It will also become an inspiration to others.
2. Retailers can motivate their consumers for it Retail companies can promote the use of cloth bags because shopping platforms can stop the use of plastic bags by providing them jute or cloth bags and can encourage the customers to be part of anti plastic use campaign. As these bags are reusable, biodegradable and will do not create the garbage on earth.
3. Help those who are working for it One can also help such organisations with devotion of time and money who are working on similar campaign of land clearing.
4. Do not forget to carry your bag Make it a habit to use your own bag for any kind of shopping, it will definitely make a difference.
5. Recycle your own plastic garbage Instead of throwing it here and there we should recycle our own plastic garbage. If it will be followed by everyone then it will surely reduce the plastic litter in the world. As it is now entering into our food chain then it will affect our biodiversity so celebrate this day with little concern about our present environmental conditions. So to deal with environmental pollution, we should take some steps to change the situation otherwise there will be no nature and natural beauty, every place will become the landfill of plastic litter. Switch to some eco-friendly carriers and save Mother Earth. So Be aware and prohibit the use of plastic bags.
Writing Credits – Mandeep Kaur
