By: LakshmiPS
Bangladesh, one of the most polluted countries in the world, may have found a way out of the single-use plastics with a biodegradable packaging bag made of jute cellulose.
A stall at the Dhaka International Trade Fair has been inundated with requests from commercial buyers for the Sonali Bag as a sustainable alternative for bags made of plastic that have caused alarming pollution levels threatening human and animal health.
“People want it (the jute bag) in thousands. But we are yet to start commercial production. We displayed this bag to make people aware of it,” said Khalilur Rahman, an assistant manager of the stall of the state-run Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC).
Each bag costs taka 10 (12 cents) which is several times higher than a similar bag of polythene that was banned nearly two decades ago but could not be enforced mainly due to lack of monitoring and a suitable substitution.
But Khalil said most of their customers were ignoring the higher price for its environment-friendliness.
(Reuters)
