NE iskam torbichka” is one of the first full sentences that I learned in Bulgarian – otherwise I would seemingly be carrying more plastic bags than produce home from the local shop. My plea, “I don’t want a plastic bag,” drew confused stares that I initially thought were due to my accent. However, daily intonations proved ineffective in making Bulgarian shop assistants understand such a foreign concept.
Those of us from more environmentally enlightened countries recognise that plastic bags are environmentally problematic. Though this may not necessarily translate into action in our home countries, problem recognition is the obvious first step in problem solution. But consumer habits are difficult to break, particularly when plastic bags perhaps represent such convenience for personal food and garment transportation. The ensuing steps are more drastic, requiring joint efforts from government, industry, and consumers to refuse, reduce, and recycle plastic bags. So if problem awareness is a necessary first step, it is little wonder that Bulgarian generosity extends to shrouding every purchase with plastic ignorance.
The environmental consequences of plastic bags are well understood by much of the world. Made from non-renewable oil resources, they are toxic, do not biodegrade, and are harmful to animals. Increasingly, research is linking the coloured pigments used in plastic bags to health problems in humans. Marine species can become entangled or eat the bags leading to a slow, painful death. Their lifespan makes plastic bags serial killers, and not just for marine life – in India, foraging cows may choke or starve to death. A nuisance wind-borne escapee from landfill sites, plastic bags choke the countryside, block urban drains, and are an ugly sight. So combine a lifetime thousands of times longer than the trip home from the shops with consumer ignorance, and you have a problem that is not about to just blow away.
Perhaps equally problematic is ex-pat laziness in sharing environmental knowledge with locals. Those of us with good habits in our home country, where environmental irresponsibility is socially frowned upon, may be struck by some sense of hopelessness in Bulgaria. Then, as if by some miracle Bulgaria’s environmental problems aren’t linked to global scenarios, we may forget our personal responsibility and become lazy. Whilst we may be quietly frustrated with the lack of local awareness or opportunity to recycle, we could instead be vocally assisting Bulgaria’s improvement, leaving a legacy of environmental awareness behind that benefits future generations.
Indeed, general environmental awareness is not a necessary precursor to elimination of plastic bag usage. Countries including India, Rwanda, and Nepal have all introduced strict measures in curbing the use of plastic bags. Bangladesh slapped an outright ban on all drain-clogging polythene bags after they were found to have been the main culprit during severe flooding in 1988 and 1998. India sees tourism, environmental and health benefits from banning the bag, with strict fines in place. People now use reusable bags, commonly woven from jute, creating another industry with associated economic benefit.
In Bulgaria too, a plastic bag reduction or eradication campaign might have broader impact. Taxes introduced in Ireland reduced plastic bag usage by 90 per cent in five months, at the same time providing the government with money to direct towards further environmental directives. Some Australian small towns use their plastic-bag-free status as a tourist drawcard. Legislation in South Africa stipulates a minimum thickness, increasing the expense of plastic bags to encourage reuse, and enabling cost-effective recycling measures. A deposit system seems to work well for beer bottles in Bulgaria, could this idea not be somehow extended? The user-pays model of plastic bag distribution removes hidden costs from foodstuff and other products. Such initiatives also discourage the single-reuse method of garbage bin liners, a practise that sees a reusable and recyclable resource discarded to landfill to drift and pollute for centuries to come. Biodegradable bags are not the answer, for though they decompose, replacing one resource-consuming habit with another only perpetuates faux environmentalism.
There are plenty of further economically justifiable, self-sustainable recycling opportunities that could be implemented without requiring governmental financial contribution beyond an education campaign. One would think, given critical levels at landfills and ‘refusenik’ activism, local government would be doing whatever possible to reduce the amount of disposed waste. While implementing roadside recycling collection requires a large upfront educational and resource investment, it creates jobs and industry opportunities, improves Bulgaria’s image, and is less politically sensitive than landfill.
With such a long lifespan and many desirable properties, recycled plastic has great potential. Plastic Lumber looks like wood but outperforms its natural ancestor in many ways. More durable, longer lasting, insect proof, and virtually maintenance free, plastic lumber is perfect for park benches, garden furniture, railway sleepers, and outdoor decking. The humble plastic bag can thus reincarnate itself as a fence or a garden stake, whilst discarded plastic bottles can be turned into highly appreciated polar fleece. However, given the costs and in convenience associated with recycling, and the fact that reuse only delays the plastic entering the environments, the most sensible option is to cut down on the number of plastic bags that are used, or to stop using them altogether.
It is therefore disappointing to see that, in Bulgaria’s ‘National Strategy for the Environment and Action Plan 2000-2006,’ there is no mention made of plastic minimisation, reuse, or general recycling. Sure, there are more pressing environmental issues for Bulgaria, but this is a simple first step that will help foster greater environmental awareness. It is an area of ex-pat expertise, easily contributed to via NGO involvement, media and governmental action, that contributes to improving the health and quality of lives for all inhabitants of Bulgaria for decades to come.
For more information about Bulgarian environmental initiatives, visit http://enrin.grida. no/htmls/bulgaria/soe2003/en/
http://www.moew.government.bg/index_e.html
Those of us from more environmentally enlightened countries recognise that plastic bags are environmentally problematic. Though this may not necessarily translate into action in our home countries, problem recognition is the obvious first step in problem solution. But consumer habits are difficult to break, particularly when plastic bags perhaps represent such convenience for personal food and garment transportation. The ensuing steps are more drastic, requiring joint efforts from government, industry, and consumers to refuse, reduce, and recycle plastic bags. So if problem awareness is a necessary first step, it is little wonder that Bulgarian generosity extends to shrouding every purchase with plastic ignorance.
The environmental consequences of plastic bags are well understood by much of the world. Made from non-renewable oil resources, they are toxic, do not biodegrade, and are harmful to animals. Increasingly, research is linking the coloured pigments used in plastic bags to health problems in humans. Marine species can become entangled or eat the bags leading to a slow, painful death. Their lifespan makes plastic bags serial killers, and not just for marine life – in India, foraging cows may choke or starve to death. A nuisance wind-borne escapee from landfill sites, plastic bags choke the countryside, block urban drains, and are an ugly sight. So combine a lifetime thousands of times longer than the trip home from the shops with consumer ignorance, and you have a problem that is not about to just blow away.
Perhaps equally problematic is ex-pat laziness in sharing environmental knowledge with locals. Those of us with good habits in our home country, where environmental irresponsibility is socially frowned upon, may be struck by some sense of hopelessness in Bulgaria. Then, as if by some miracle Bulgaria’s environmental problems aren’t linked to global scenarios, we may forget our personal responsibility and become lazy. Whilst we may be quietly frustrated with the lack of local awareness or opportunity to recycle, we could instead be vocally assisting Bulgaria’s improvement, leaving a legacy of environmental awareness behind that benefits future generations.
Indeed, general environmental awareness is not a necessary precursor to elimination of plastic bag usage. Countries including India, Rwanda, and Nepal have all introduced strict measures in curbing the use of plastic bags. Bangladesh slapped an outright ban on all drain-clogging polythene bags after they were found to have been the main culprit during severe flooding in 1988 and 1998. India sees tourism, environmental and health benefits from banning the bag, with strict fines in place. People now use reusable bags, commonly woven from jute, creating another industry with associated economic benefit.
In Bulgaria too, a plastic bag reduction or eradication campaign might have broader impact. Taxes introduced in Ireland reduced plastic bag usage by 90 per cent in five months, at the same time providing the government with money to direct towards further environmental directives. Some Australian small towns use their plastic-bag-free status as a tourist drawcard. Legislation in South Africa stipulates a minimum thickness, increasing the expense of plastic bags to encourage reuse, and enabling cost-effective recycling measures. A deposit system seems to work well for beer bottles in Bulgaria, could this idea not be somehow extended? The user-pays model of plastic bag distribution removes hidden costs from foodstuff and other products. Such initiatives also discourage the single-reuse method of garbage bin liners, a practise that sees a reusable and recyclable resource discarded to landfill to drift and pollute for centuries to come. Biodegradable bags are not the answer, for though they decompose, replacing one resource-consuming habit with another only perpetuates faux environmentalism.
There are plenty of further economically justifiable, self-sustainable recycling opportunities that could be implemented without requiring governmental financial contribution beyond an education campaign. One would think, given critical levels at landfills and ‘refusenik’ activism, local government would be doing whatever possible to reduce the amount of disposed waste. While implementing roadside recycling collection requires a large upfront educational and resource investment, it creates jobs and industry opportunities, improves Bulgaria’s image, and is less politically sensitive than landfill.
With such a long lifespan and many desirable properties, recycled plastic has great potential. Plastic Lumber looks like wood but outperforms its natural ancestor in many ways. More durable, longer lasting, insect proof, and virtually maintenance free, plastic lumber is perfect for park benches, garden furniture, railway sleepers, and outdoor decking. The humble plastic bag can thus reincarnate itself as a fence or a garden stake, whilst discarded plastic bottles can be turned into highly appreciated polar fleece. However, given the costs and in convenience associated with recycling, and the fact that reuse only delays the plastic entering the environments, the most sensible option is to cut down on the number of plastic bags that are used, or to stop using them altogether.
It is therefore disappointing to see that, in Bulgaria’s ‘National Strategy for the Environment and Action Plan 2000-2006,’ there is no mention made of plastic minimisation, reuse, or general recycling. Sure, there are more pressing environmental issues for Bulgaria, but this is a simple first step that will help foster greater environmental awareness. It is an area of ex-pat expertise, easily contributed to via NGO involvement, media and governmental action, that contributes to improving the health and quality of lives for all inhabitants of Bulgaria for decades to come.
For more information about Bulgarian environmental initiatives, visit http://enrin.grida. no/htmls/bulgaria/soe2003/en/
http://www.moew.government.bg/index_e.html
