New Delhi: International Plastic Bag free day is observed on July 3 every year. The day is observed to raise awareness among public about the damages that plastic causes to the environment.
It was first observed on July 3, 2008. The day was initiated by Rezero, a member of Zero Waste Europe (ZWE). In 2008, it was observed only in Catalonia in Spain. In 2009, the ZWE introduced the International Plastic Bag Free Day to the European Union.
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Plastic is non-biodegradable and takes around 1000 years to disintegrate in a landfill. Several countries in the world have started projects to replace single-use plastic with other substances. As per studies humans produce roughly 300 million tons of plastic waste each year. The major part of these cannot be recycled. World-wide only 10-13% of plastic items are recycled as the process of recycling plastics is complicated.
Single-use plastics are plastic products that are discarded after one-time usage and cannot be recycled. Single-use plastic items include plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging.
Bangladesh is the first country in the world to ban plastics. Bangladesh banned use of plastics in 2002. India has imposed strict ban on single-use plastics starting July 1, this year. Many other countries like China, Rwanda, Italy, the UAE and other GCC countries have now banned single-use plastics.
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