The environmentalists are always cautioning people to use less plastic. Well, they have good reasons for doing so. Know that there are things that are biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Under the biodegradable products, there are leaves, food petals, and paper that are included. These are not harmful to the environment. This is because the bacterial elements consume these products. Also, in some cases, these goods transform into nature-friendly options.

On the contrary, plastic comes under the non-biodegradable category. Likewise, steel and glass are included in this grouping. These products are not eco-friendly because bacteria cannot consume them.

Understand that if plastic is present on land, the soil becomes less fertile. And if thrown in water, they can harm sea animals. In fact, if animals eat plastic, they become sick. Here, again, the reason is the same that the bacteria cannot breakdown plastic.

For this reason, grocery shops are switching from plastic bags to eco-friendly options – such as cloth or paper bags.

However, many people ask for plastic, thus factories manufacture such products. Hence, on your part, you must take steps to reduce the use of plastic. Alternatively, you can return the plastic bags to the factories for recycling purposes. When you do so, then the manufacture of plastic reduces because the companies will have the used ones to recycle.

Additionally, you can make a difference by opting for the paper or cloth bags, instead of the plastic varieties.

Keeping in mind that plastic is dangerous for the environment, one of Thailand’s supermarket chain in Chiang Mai that is the Rimping Supermarket one, is using banana leaves for packaging – and not plastic. Yes, the company is using discarded banana leaves for packing vegetables. Further, they are securing the contents with bamboo strings.

The social media community has welcomed this move. They opine that such initiatives can effectively curb plastic use and help in saving the environment.

With the world producing 400 million tons of plastic in any given year that is as per the UNEP’s latest report, there is need to take such measures for contributing to the environment in a meaningful way, we say.