As my weekday routine, I would stop at the nearby petrol kiosk to grab a coffee and bun or sandwich after dropping my kids at the nursery.

The cashier will enquire if I needed a plastic bag and that I will have to pay an extra 20 sen for it. When I reply 'No, I don't want one' the cashier will heave a sigh of relief.

"Why? Do people tell you off if they have to pay for the plastic bag," I asked the cashier.

"True kak (sister), the government sets the regulations but we at the counter are the ones who become the victims of the public's wrath.

"They think we are out to make a profit. But it seems weird... why (control use of) plastic bags? They want to reduce (plastic) waste but then, there's so much of other kinds of waste too," the youth said, expressing his opinion. I just smiled and hurried to my car.

Clearly, many people still do not know (or do not want to know?) the hazards posed by plastic waste. It is definitely a cause for concern in Malaysia where, for years, plastic bags have been used to carry things and to dispose garbage.

Why is plastic so "special" that it has earned such notoriety?

Based on information provided by a solid waste management expert Dr Irnis Azura Zakarya, I' m now aware of the three main reasons why plastic is harmful

First, plastic materials are made from petroleum products and plastic waste, when incinerated, releases cancer-causing toxic substances; when buried, its chemical breakdown will cause biphenol A and oligomers to be released into the environment and these are known to affect the hormonal functions of human and animals.

Second, the plastic bags so commonly used by the public take at least 400 years to biodegrade or decompose after they are disposed off. This means, a plastic bag someone had used 30 years ago is probably still embedded in some landfill or stuck somewhere or floating on an ocean, still in mint condition.

Just imagine the billions of plastic bags that have been used and will be used on a daily basis in this whole, wide world... just how many plastic bags can Mother Earth cope with?

Third, as for those bags floating on our oceans, statistics show that more than 100,000 marine creatures die every year after becoming entangled in or eating plastic bags. Why, very recently researchers in Norway were shocked when they discovered more than 30 plastic bags and other plastic waste inside the stomach of a whale.

Irnis Azura is of the opinion that the government should continue with its plastic-free campaign and impose a charge on customers if they need to use plastic bags when they go shopping.

"I've noticed that the goverment, as well as statutory bodies, have been observing the plastic-free campaign for sometime now and public awareness on the detrimental effects of plastic on the environment is also increasing.

"The 20-sen levy imposed on each plastic bag by shops and supermarkets is necessary because this is the only way to compel consumers to exercise restraint when using plastic bags," said the director of Universiti Malaysia Perlis' Occupational Safety and Health Unit.

Encouraging wider use of biodegradable bags, she said these bags could decompose within six months after being disposed off.

"However, it's more costly to produce these biodegradable bags but if more traders resort to using them, then their prices might drop. This, indirectly, will help with efforts to preserve our environment," observed Irnis Azura.

I readily agree with Irnis Azura. However, more needs to be done to educate the public on the dangers posed by plastic bags.

As is always the case, the initial stage of any change is hard. People are bound to "make a lot of noise" and there will always be skepticism. However, that's no excuse for the authorities concerned to give up.

In other words, they should keep on endeavouring, taking into consideration the deteriorating state of our environment.

Committed action will, over time, bear fruit.

In the long term, our environment will no longer need human; in fact, human are the ones who need the environment for their continued survival.

(This commentary is the personal opinion of the writer and does not reflect on BERNAMA's stand on what is said by the writer). - BERNAMA