Drop plastic from our daily life...

From the beginning of this year, my memory has been under tremendous test. Although occasional forgetfulness like misplacing a key or my mobile phone is normal, I realised its gravity in the recent weeks after the ban on single-use plastic bags.

Despite knowing that most shops do not give free shopping bags anymore, not even a single time did I carry a bag while going to buy essentials! Call it mindlessness or forgetfulness, I have to shell out a few more coins at the counter.

Here I do not ignore the fact that plastic bags that were handed out till December 31, 2020, at the checkouts were not free. The only difference was that they were not directly charged. The hidden fact was that single-use plastic bags did not appear as a line item on your receipt, but you still paid for them!

Like a cupboard bulging with clothes, our kitchen shelves are often stuffed with reusable bags that I bought every time I do shopping. But when I told my colleague about my memory lapse, he just laughed it out saying, “Don’t worry, I am no exception. It happens only with tiny issues!”

So there is no cause for alarm! It is another episode like forgetting a key or a pen. It is not like the other changes that my aging body is witnessing! The normal forgetfulness that even a youngster would have!

But the landmark decision banning single-use plastic bags in Oman is the subject of importance that deserves a big applause. When I first reported about the Oman government’s plans to ban single-use plastic bags a few years ago, I did not expect it to be a resounding success.

alternatives

There’s no reason why single-use plastic bags need to be a part of our daily lives, especially because there are other reusable alternatives. With the ban, we are slowly adapting to a newer lifestyle by completely eliminating the use of single-use plastic.

The UN environment report suggests a ban on single-use plastics can be a step towards more comprehensive policies aiming at reducing the plastic menace and at replacing single-use plastics with more sustainable, environmentally friendly alternatives.

Elimination of single-use plastic from the earth is not only needed and feasible, it also has the potential to boost the local economy. It helps the civic authorities in the management of littering and low-value waste.

Plastic bag bans tackle the litter problem at the source and prevent environmental harm. Plastic bags are usually lightweight and as such, they can travel very long distances by either water or wind.

Some bags may simply be discarded and tossed every nook and corner. Plastic bag litter is an eyesore that makes areas look rundown. These litters get caught up in between trees, fences and floats in water bodies thus damaging the world’s oceans. They ultimately end up in our food chain.

Discarded bags are a threat to humans and animal habitat. There are some chemicals from the plastic bags which can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in the human body. Birds, animals and marine life such as turtles and fish often mistake the plastic bag and other plastic materials for food and eat them.

While our government is committed to bring more harmful plastic products to the list of banned items, it is the responsibility of the communities, organisations and institutions to jointly promote development of new and innovative solutions to prevent, capture and remove plastic pollution from the environment.

SAMUEL KUTTY

@samkuttyvp