Plastic waste poses a serious threat which is being faced everywhere. We are discarding plastic at such a massive rate that it can cover our planet almost four times. Most of it ends up in our water bodies which are choking up the marine life. As per the recent findings, around 1 million sea birds and round about 100,000 sea mammals lose their lives to the menace of plastic every year. And, we haven’t even touched the plight of those living on the land yet.
It’s high time that we look around and focus on the alternatives like cloth bag (ถุงผ้า, which is the term in Thai), linen bag, jute bags etc. to counter the worsening situation.
Let us have a closer look at the available options with us.
- Paper Bags: As compared to the use and throw plastic bags, paper bags are 100% biodegradable in nature and construction. Paper bags are even more robust and can carry much more weight as compared to their plastic counterparts.
They are available in various sizes and colours with brown and whites being more popular options in use. White ones are considered better quality-wise and are widely used by brands to personalize their logo and other details on them. Paper bags are also used extensively to carry lunch, groceries, merch and wines around.
- Canvas Bags: Canvas bags are made up of cotton and hence are more durable. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes to address different needs. When compared with the traditional hand-stitched bags, these are much lighter and cost effective too.
Cloth bags are even washable. Hence, when dirty, you can simply put in your machine to clean them up and re-use.
- Jute Bags: Another great alternative to the plastic bags is the good old jute. They are also called hessian bags and have exceptionally high durability standards. Jute bags are 100% biodegradable and naturally decompose after a couple of years of use leaving no trace whatsoever.
Jute plants also double up as a source of replenishing oxygen back into the environment after neutralizing harmful CO2 gases.
- Basket Bags: Basket bags are again made up of naturally available options like straw, twigs, grasses, vines etc. They are sturdier and have been around for quite a while now. They also make a big fashion statement hence many renowned brands like Zara are actually selling them at their high-end stores.
Make a conscious shift today and choose these amazing alternatives to successfully counter the problem of plastic bags.
