According to the Earth Policy Institute, a trillion plastic bags are used annually only once and nearly 2 million plastic bags every minute around the world. These plastic bags are disposed either through landfills or are burned. Both these methods are dangerous for environment as a single plastic bag takes approximately hundred of years to properly degrade through the natural process. It turns into its small tiny constituents but remains active to damage the environment. These small plastic pieces are eaten by animals with their food and causes blockage of intestine and creates other digestion issues. These plastic bags also affects growth of crops and other trees, the roots of plants cannot reach to their food nutrients in soil due to landfills with these plastic bags. When plastic bags flow into rivers and seas with rainwater and human negligence, it threatens marine life – some fish and big animals cannot distinguish between the plastic and their food, swallowing them and consequently causes the deaths of aquatic life. The flow of plastic and garbage into waters of dams, lakes, rivers, and sea hampers the sunlight to reach the surface of these water bodies. It stops the process of photosynthesis taking place in them, reduces the level of dissolved oxygen and becomes fatal to water animals.
Few days back, a large number of deaths of fish in Rawal Dam caught the attention of media and public nation wide. The reason explained by Federal Environmental Protection Agency for the deaths of fish in Rawal dam, Islamabad was reduced level of dissolved oxygen in water due to the blockage of sunlight. The reason of blockage was garbage especially plastic bags. Similarly when these plastic bags are burned it releases toxic gases into the atmosphere. These toxic gases, once released in the atmosphere, can cause respiratory and skin diseases among human beings.
There is no universally recognized method to dispose plastic bags properly. Some countries have completely banned plastic bags or their free distribution; almost 16 African countries have completely banned plastic bags. Some European countries have introduced additional taxes on the usage of plastic bags and some states in North America have banned plastic bags and charge extra for paper bags as well.
In Pakistan, we too are facing a serious threat from the use of plastic bags. The ban of plastic bags by the Ministry of Climate Change in its premises is a good step. Federal Environmental Protection Agency has taken various steps that includes launch of an awareness campaign “Say No To Plastic Bags”. But environmental degradation by plastic bags is our national issues and requires efforts at national level to wipe out its use.
There are a number of policy initiatives that can be taken at a national level to ban the use of these plastic bags. Firstly, there should be a national policy regulating the use of plastic bags, under this policy, a tax should be introduced on plastic bags that will hinder free distribution of plastic bags. Secondly, big size cloth bags should only be available with an extra charge in big stores. It would create a habit of reuse among consumers and remind them to bring along their own bags. There should be a national level campaign to spread the message of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. The environment departments at provincial and federal level, and the Capital Development Authority should install three separate bins at public places for plastic, paper and food garbage. It would help to recycle plastic items easily and protect the environment as well. There should be a heavy fine and punishment for throwing plastic bags on streets and public places. The government should hire young PhDs in environmental subjects to conduct more research on microbes helpful in rapid plastic degradation.