Single-use plastic should stop to protect the environment

Thanks to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEFCC), Bangladeh’s recent initiative, tourists visiting the Sundarbans will no longer be allowed to bring single-use plastic items.

This recent government initiative to reduce the use of single-use plastic deserves appreciation. But if only the government is relied upon to implement this ban, it can be questioned whether it will be effective.

Single-use plastic is also commonly called one-time plastic. Simply put, they are any plastic product/product/packaging we usually throw away once.

It is better to identify them in a practical or conventional sense. Theoretically, this poses some complexities because it is difficult to explain which plastic will be called single-use.

So without getting complicated, if we look at it, we can make a list of the products that are single-use or used only once.

First, plastic food dishes and water containers come. Many people will say here, why not a polythene bag? The words are true and logical too. But if we think in a practical sense at the personal level, any plastic bag is used more than once or is likely to be used, like we keep or store something in hard plastic bags at home.

In my childhood, I saw the case of storing the meat in the plastic wrap of Milkvita milk in the refrigerator. Many more examples can give. The small bags that come with mosquito coils can also be reused.

For example, these can be seen in kitchen waste disposal. These examples come from themselves out of the context of their own practical lives because it has no obligation. How a person uses it is very personal.

These examples must establish that the widespread use of plastic bags is good. Of course not. The reason for giving these examples is that any product made of single-use plastic is used only once—for example, products such as plates-bowls-cups-glasses.

Ultra-fragile plastic products designed for one-time use require little explanation, from their production and marketing to consumer mindset.

We are still determining if the government will stop using disposable plastic plates, bowls, cups, and glasses in Sundarbans and nearby areas. Many of you and I have been to the Sundarbans, are going, and will go in the future.

Sundarbans must rank first among the most beautiful places in Bangladesh. St. Martins were once considered close to heaven, but today their status is treacherous. What has happened in a tiny enclosed area to provide the necessary accessories for the arrival or travel of so many people every day can be seen by opening the newspaper.

Does that mean we shouldn’t go there? Or does it have any tendency to decrease? The answer is better left to ourselves. Why did this question come -Talking about the single-use plastic tableware ban in Sundarbans?

There are no housing facilities or settlements in the Sundarbans, and what is there is not commercial. But we are going and staying in Sundarbans and living in a river, boat, watercraft, floating. We have been having picnics, sprees, and picnics in groups. The source of the incident is there.

Initially, it said that the tableware used in the banquet has changed over time. Glassware was gradually replaced by melamine, and finally, plasticware.

Now we can say in one sentence, “Don’t understand problems less”! No problem at all. After eating and cleaning your hands, you must throw away the dishes, bowls, and cups before picking up the bowl.

Many people also come up with the argument that there is no hassle of washing, as a result of which water wastage is less. But think about how unconsciously we have become dependent on such a thing for our benefit without taking any responsibility. It is also rude. This is an outrageous display of irresponsibility.

This practice of yours and mine not only increases our health risk but also increases environmental pollution. The term environmental pollution has become a cliché now.

Pollution in everything I do! It is not wrong. Everything we do has an unintended consequence. Now it is not about doing anything but understanding it.

If you can take so much while traveling, why can’t you take a plate? Does it seem outdated? Or is the need to shoulder some responsibility highlighted?

Government action is significant to remind us of this responsibility. We cannot create a crisis in the surrounding area just for our benefit. Even in a remote area, you can see these single-use plastic dishes on rivers and ponds everywhere. Why is it seen?

This question is about the ruler of civilization. The question is ours. The question is a shame. And if somehow there is a place to visit and there is no one to clean up the mess, then there is no point. You will see the banks of the river covered with white plastic plates, the pond half filled.

One thing we never take into account is the extent of environmental pollution caused by the single-use plastic products we throw away. In short, these plastic products are so fragile that they break within a few days.

Any large plastic breaks down over time due to various natural causes, including heat from the sun and water, unless we can get them to waste management before they break down and become tiny. Most of the time, this is not possible. These plastics break down into microplastics and mix with the environment.

Due to the relatively low cost of single-use plastic products, the tendency to collect this type of plastic is almost nonexistent. Hard plastics, such as oil drums, water, and oil bottles, are collected and reused. Hard plastics are relatively easy to recycle.

But the possibility of recycling single-use plastic or single-use plastic is very less. If the commercial value of its recycling were profitable, the level of environmental pollution would be reduced to some extent.

The government has taken this step only focusing on the coastal areas, especially the Sundarbans. In addition, if the entire rivers, ponds, canals, seas, and reservoirs are also brought under this along with other tourist centers, it will be possible to get long-term benefits.

Because most of the wastes or pollutants from the land can mix in the aquatic environment, relying solely on government oversight for the success of this move would be nothing but hypocrisy. If we do not come forward, we will never be 100% successful in solving this kind of problem with only laws and regulations.