Effective Ways to Reduce Plastic Bag Use
No matter on which side of the planet you reside, plastic bags littered around is a common and unpleasing sight that welcomes all- From beaches, garden, trees to the lakes and parks, there is not even a single place which has remained untouched from this ever-expanding menace.
The onus not only lies with the governments or the business organizations to drive the change, but the urgency to fight the situation must penetrate deeply at every individual’s level. While recycle and reuse is one way to counter the situation, the companies which produce cloth bags are also providing us with the viable alternatives that help successfully replace the plastic bags.
When a person makes a purchase from a departmental store, they often end up walking out with more than one bag of plastic. And, this is just one scenario, on a daily basis we are collecting plastic bags from numerous places which usually ends up polluting our water bodies or landfills, posing a massive environmental challenge.
Here are a few workable solutions which you can implement to slowly bring down the use of plastic in your day to day life.
- Refuse the bag altogether: As a protocol, store employees need to pack the purchased material in one plastic bag or segregate them into multiple. For example, you must have come across a scenario where all the eatables and washing materials/detergents are packed off separately.
At this point, what you can do is simply refuse to take the plastic packaging bag. Especially, in case you have purchased the only couple of articles, it’s no shame to carry them around in your hands.
- Carry your own reusable bags: In the beginning, you might find it challenging to remember carrying a couple of full-length bags to take home your groceries. However, with time and daily practice, you’ll soon get a hang of it.
Imagine how much plastic bag use you’ll cut down simply by committing to the habit of reuse every day.
- Use cloth bags: Procure a few pieces from the companies which produce cloth bags (รับผลิตกระเป๋าผ้า ลดโลกร้อน, which is the term in Thai). These bags are made up of 100% biodegradable material and can be used multiple times.
- Recycle: There are many thrift stores which would agree to use plastic bags for packing their merchandise. You might also have come across a special counter at a grocery store where you can drop off your old junk of plastic bags.
All these four ways work fantastically well when combined together. Ultimately, it starts with you! Be the change you want to see in the world.
