|
7th May, 2009
KOTA KINABALU: Plastic bags are cheap and convenient, which explains why they are popular among consumers and retailers of today.
Just visit any shop, and chances are, you will be walking out of that shop with one or more plastic bags in hand.
According to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Head of the Environment Science Program, Associate Prof Dr Piakong Mohd Tuah, since it was introduced in the United States in 1977, plastic consumption has increased rapidly throughout the world, so much so that it is now creating an environmental problem that is raising global, international and local concerns.
“Plastic litter is a serious aesthetic problem. They also have limited degradation, hence resulting in their accumulation in landfills. The bags also have a recycling limit, due to their low quality and plastic bags also consist of the principal component of Floating Marine Debris. Their impact of FMD in marine wildlife and invertebrate fauna has been well documented and includes entanglement, ingestion and suffocation,” he said.
FMD, said Dr Piakong, can also have adverse effects on human activities at sea as they may become entangled with the fishing lines or nets and ship propellers, he said.
And not only that, there are also cases of people choking from plastic bags, he warned.
He added that UMS has conducted a study on the composition of plastic in the municipal solid waste (MSW) in Kota Belud, Penampang and here this year and has already come up with their findings.
He said that about 28 percent of the MSW from Penampang were plastic, while 31 per cent were organic waste and paper.
In Kota Belud, about 31 percent of the MWS was organic waste, followed by plastic (30 percent) and 29 percent paper.
And in the capital, the organic wastes consist of 37 percent of the total MSW, followed by 31 percent plastic and 16 percent paper.
To address the plastic bag issue, Dr Piakong has recommended on educating consumers about good environmental practice and to refuse plastic bags when making their purchases at shops.
He also urged the industry to make plastic bags more durable and thus, more expensive to discourage users from discarding them.
Additionally, he also urged retailers to stop handing out plastic bags for free, or to charge the consumers a certain sum for the bags.
The government may also adopt several strategies to reduce the use of plastic bags in the State and among them is the banning of plastic bags, search for other alternatives, reduction of its use and education.
|
