To increase public awareness about the environmental dangers associated with plastic usage, July 3rd has been designated as “World Plastic Bag Free Day.”
This day aims to not only promote the elimination of single-use plastics but also encourage countries to implement bans on their usage. It’s worth noting that it took five years for a remarkable achievement to occur—the first country in the world to enforce a ban on plastic usage.According to Kental travel, in 2002, Bangladesh emerged as the pioneering nation by imposing restrictions on single-use plastics. This decision was prompted by the detrimental impact of plastics on the country, particularly their role in causing floods through the obstruction of sewage outlets.
Nevertheless, the designation of World Plastic Bag Free Day dates back to July 3rd, 2008, when one of the members of Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) first organized it in Spain and then in subsequent years in other European countries.
Significance of this day
The goal of this day is to draw attention to the destructive effects of plastic bags and promote the use of environmentally friendly alternatives such as paper or cloth bags, ultimately aiming to eliminate the use of plastic bags.
160,000 plastic bags per minute
According to statistics from the world counts website, approximately five trillion plastic bags are consumed annually. This volume can cover an area twice the size of France.
Most of these plastic bags are simply discarded, and only one percent of them are recycled.
What happens to plastic bags?
Overall, we use 100 million tons of plastic annually. Approximately 10 percent of this plastic finds its way into the oceans, which is equivalent to 300 million plastic bags. Disturbingly, by 2050, the weight of plastics in the oceans is predicted to exceed that of fish.
In terms of bans on plastic bag usage, a total of 94 countries have currently implemented such measures, while some countries have opted for charging fees for the provision of plastic bags.
On this day, many Iranians actively participate in cleaning up plastic bags from nature. Moreover, Iran has been running extensive advertising campaigns in recent years to encourage the use of cloth bags as an alternative to plastic bags. As a result, the country’s efforts are aimed at reducing plastic waste and promoting a more sustainable approach to bag usage.
