How many of you, or even someone you are acquainted to, have the habit of using environmentally-friendly bags? I tell you, it’s not ludicrous answering ‘none’. What is the reason behind this? Just Today, I can recollect vaguely, that I saw a mother with her daughter as I walked past a supermarket. They must have done a great deal of shopping, because there were at least five plastic bags. It’s a hobby that many of us keep doing, without much self-reflection on the reason that why don’t they carry a few cloth bags with them from time to time.
In Hong Kong, a supermarket company implemented a plastic bag levy of five cents(HK$) in October—but shortly after one month, the levy was cancelled. This is such a shocking and incredulous news for me, for I heard it after my trip to Beijing, that I immediately checked the online-news for the reason behind it. I think the most obvious reason is the keen competition and similarly low prices of the opposing contestant– another big supermarket company. But the true factor behind this is us, shopper’s choice.
I am not telling a lie that it takes a thousand years for a plastic bag to be decomposed. If people throw away the ‘free’ plastic bag obtained from supermarkets or other shops, they won’t feel guilty , because it costed them nothing! Actually, the aim and reason for having a levy on plastic bag is simple—it reminds shoppers that, the fossil fuels and ethylene used in manufacturing these plastic products are running out, they are no longer abundant or copious anymore! The implementation of plastic bag levy can help people understand the crisis and calamity that it could cost when we perpetually use plastic bags.
We human are, according to some programmes I have watched, about the formation of Earth, its history and the beginning of mankind, some of the ‘last minute’ creatures that appeared .However, the Earth that we have the responsibility of keeping it hale and hearty is no longer in this condition and it’s impossible to reconcile the plight that we are facing. Unfortunately and discouragingly, we couldn’t stop the inevitable extinction now, it’s too late. We could only slow down the gait, this profoundly horrid truth now. We can’t do anything to stop the Earth from dying of this ‘fever’. Plastic bags can be demolished only by burning and the only alternate way is to transport it to the already-filled landfills. Both ways are hazardous to the environment and the only thing that I am insinuating is that, we cannot afford the production of plastic bags to continue, for it will accelerate the pace of our Earth, going for its ‘death’.
Ask yourself, or someone you are acquainted to, the question why, after so much information is given about climate change and global warming by experts, the reason for not carrying a reusable bag with you from time to time. I hope that the answer will not be ‘It’s not the trend’.
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