Polythene Bags-The Frontier Post [Archive] By Waqar Hussain

 

 

October 30

Polythene Bags

Polythene bags Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in a meeting held on September 12 decided to impose ban on the production. sale and use of polythene bags. The use of polythene bags has already been prohibited in Karachi. Common people may not agree with imposition of ban considering the util-ity of polythene. Some of its minus points are given below. Polythene bag is composed of polyethylene which is a synthetic polymer. Ethylene, derived from petroleum. is made to react with itself under prescribed condi-tions to form polyethylene or polythene). Its composition contains a poisonous chemical which penetrates into material contained in the bag. thus making it toxic. Secondly. majority of the people use them lavishly and dispose them off blindly. It often blocks sanitary systems. Resultantly. drain water overflows on the roads which not only causes transport problems but also creates a smell. Thirdly. these bags also reduce fertility of soil as they form a thin non-permeable membrane between the adjacent layers of soil. So diffusion (i.e. the movement of materials from higher concentration to lower concentration) to maintain the uni-formity of sod is checked. Thus soil be-comes infertile. Most of the raw material in its manufac-turing is imported which is an additional burden on our economy. There is no proper method to get rid of them. Neither they can be crushed nor decomposed by microbial action. Furthermore. its burning pollutes the atmosphere with carbon dioxide (CO_) and residual material. There is no proper method of its rev:. cling . USA alone produces about 12 billion pounds of polythene annually. They have dev eloped a technoioa for its recycling. It is an appropriate step of the government to ban manufacturing. sale and use of poly-thene bag as the damage from its use has exceeded its rewards. Its ben will not create any substantial problem. Polythene bag can be replaced ivith bags of other materials like cloth. paper, esc. They are niudi cheaper and easily disposable.—WAQAR HUSSAIN, Lahore, October 30.