Plastic bag ban

For a good old Westerner, many problems can’t be noticed right  away. There’s always a back up system to make unpleasant things disappear. But some countries are not as lucky.

Arriving in Bangladesh, one quickly notices that something is different. At the local market, when you buy vegetables, fruits, meat or fish, a plastic bag is the most common thing for packaging. In Bangladesh, you get all of these goods in a paper bag, which is made out of newspapers or office papers.

Of course, the local sense of humor can strike here as well. A friend of mine (who I must give credit for the picture) was given a bag made out of somebody's American Express statement. You can walk home with your veggies and learn about the guy's spending habits along the way.

Turns out that the government of Bangladesh imposed a total ban on plastic bags back in 2002. There was a good reason for it, of course. Huge floods were caused by discarded plastic bags choking the drainage system. So it might not have been an environmental issue but more a life-saving one. Who cares? Bottom line is: plastic bags are banned in Bangladesh.

One might find it surprising that this country is on the leading edge. When we visited Cambodia or Laos the roadsides were full of plastic bags, it looked horrible! They would probably be blown into the rivers, which lead into the ocean. And then you end up with something like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

So yes, the are a lot of issues that Bangladesh must struggle with, but the plastic ban is a great example how it can move into the right direction.