Our community is in urgent need of intrinsic education on plastic bags. Thanks to the government for finally imposing a fee on single use plastic bags.

Each time I head for some shopping I feel pretty disconsolate with the number of plastic bags unfortunately we are lavish with. The biggest hurdle is the plastic bags which are used for the packing of milk, oil, salt, etc – they become big environmental problems.  

This makes me reminisce about the old and everyone’s all-time favourite English movie “Home Alone” when Kevin used to hiss and walk shaking his hands holding the plastic bags. The plastic bag which shopowners give is handy but is destroying the environment.  

I always ensure that I notify the helper and cashier to place items they can in one bag so that more and more bags are not wasted.  Glad I am now going to make my shopping more environment friendly by carrying a jute bag.

Beautiful and fashionable and colourful bags are placed near the counters where staff places items but how much these bags harm the environment is a wake-up call. There are many who wonder about the effect of plastic shopping bags on the environment. Appalled to see the amount of plastic bags wasted by so many customers a few days back when I was out shopping.

Incorrectly disposed plastic bags not only clutter the landscape with unsightly waste but can also harm wildlife. When plastics do eventually decompose they can leak toxins into the ground. To avoid using plastic bags, invest in a reusable shopping bag, usually made of canvas.

You can use these inexpensive bags over and over, reducing your carbon footprint. Lastly, you can also reuse plastic bags around the house, for waste collection and miscellaneous transporting of food and other items. We are all living in the 21st century so our thinking capacity should be more advanced when it comes to protecting our environment. So stop the use of plastic bags, please.

Mathew Litty,
Dubai