Kohima, July 3 (MExN): In continuation of its campaign ‘Nagaland Says No to Plastic’, The Coming Generation (TCG) held a programme at Lower Jail colony, Kohima on July 2 along with youth organization of the colony.
In a press release, TCG pointed out that usage of plastic bags has become a part of our lifestyle. “People go empty handed to the shops and return with loads of plastic bags with no concerns for the next generation,” it lamented.
Noting that plastic bags are mostly made of polyethylene, which is made out of petroleum, it said petroleum is a limited natural resource which can be exhausted if used irrationally. “Besides, numerous toxic chemicals are released while manufacturing the polyethylene which pollutes the air we breathe.”
The press release further reminded that a plastic bag once thrown on the ground takes centuries to degrade since most of the plastic bags are not biodegradable. “The plastic bags left as a garbage would severely affect the wildlife. Stray dogs and cows would eat them along with the food left in them. Marine creatures would mistake them to be jelly fish and consume them. Even the sea birds and turtles also eat the pieces of plastic bags thinking them to be of some kind of prey,” TCG added.
It also maintained that the garbage of plastic bags is the main culprit for blocking the drainage systems. “They would just gather at the sewage blocking the flow of water. When floods storm the cities, plastic bags were found to aggravate the disasters by locking up the flood waters. As the plastic bags take centuries to degenerate, they slowly break into synthetic granules,” the press release read.
“The soil containing the plastic bags would certainly be polluted. Besides, the granules would get mixed with ground water. The plants would grow on such land and the animals would feed on such plants. So, after a few decades, the synthetic granules would become a part of the food chain,” it added.
