B. Mezgebu
25 April 2007
column
Addis Ababa — Before its collapse in Europe, socialism had made it almost fashionable and it must be said essential, for people in those countries to carry shopping bags wherever and whenever they went outside their homes. The logic being that someone might stumble on some critically scarce consumer good on their daily errands. If they came across people queuing up, that was it. They joined the line even without knowing what it was people were standing in line for.
After the 180-degree change, globalization has made the mandatory carrying of an empty shopping bag a thing of the past. Since consumers can buy anything under the sun, (if they have the dough, that is), the plastic bag, ready at the counter for free has taken its place and it reigns supreme now.
Here in our country too, in the last few years, the use of plastic bag has ballooned. Correspondingly, the amount of randomly discarded plastic bags has mushroomed. Urbanization has become synonymous with debris of plastic bags.
From the bits of news that was given by the media, the Ethiopian Environment Protection Authority is ready to present a proposal to the parliament which if approved, would be a law banning the use of plastic bags. We have no detail information, if the ban will be a blanket ban covering all plastic bags or will only target plastic bags that are of special make.
Experts tell us that plastic tends to have an eternal life, sort of. Up to a thousand years to be more particular. On the other hand, it seems that there are special plastics that could disintegrate in a life span that is humanly; but never mind those.
One other thing that makes plastic bags an environmental pariah is that they are least conducive to recycling. In any case, these bags are so cheap that buisnesswise, there is no much sense in recycling them. That means if you have to recycle them, you do so for altruistic ends.
We hear from time to time that such and such country has decided to ban plastic bags out-and-out. I would like to assume that these countries, before doing so, have done comprehensive preparation in order to make the transition in the absence of readily available bags. Their sudden absence could create not only a big inconvenience to shoppers but could also hit the retail market, at first at least.
In Addis and other urban centers, the omnipresent plastic bag is a mixed blessing. There are is so much of it out there that even under the best of circumstances; a good percentage of it is still bound to defy any systematic collection and disposal.
As it stands we have a dry-waste disposal system which is far from perfect. Besides, it looks like we have a long-standing mindset of littering casually and feel no remorse about it. In urban centers now, up and down the land, you can't escape discarded plastic bags everywhere. You just have to adapt.
Having said that on the unsavory aspects of the product, is its total ban the best option? Something so low priced, simple and convenient is bound to have huge attractions to shoppers. You can hate plastic bags as litter, but you are bound to love them as they tidily hold your goods at the end of a shopping. That is why I think before banning, if there is to be banning, there could be public discussions on the mater. Maybe there are good ideas out there, worth exploring with consumers.
You might find a new finding surprising, but researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia, think that overall, when damage to the environment is considered, plastic may not as bad as we think. As described in the NewScientist, 7 April, 2007, the reaction by the scientists to the conservationists' negative feeling towards plastic was as follows: "People attack plastic as environmentally unfriendly, which I think is unfair." Says Lewis. "She and others agree that plastic's light weight and lower production energy requirements can make it less environmentally damaging choice than glass or paper. As greenhouse gas emission rise to the top of the environment agenda, plastic begins to look even better, as anything that reduces total energy demands has to be progress." Outlawing the manufacture and sale of plastic bags can be equated to cutting a messy knot with a stroke of the sword. It is not bad as a clean-cut solution. But it is also like killing the messenger for the bad news.
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