JEDDAH — Plastic bags are among the biggest environmental hazards threatening humans, animals and plants, according to a study by a Saudi researcher specializing in the environment.

 

Dr. Majidah Abu Ras, deputy chairwoman of the Saudi Environmental Society and professor of environment at King Abdulaziz University, said plastic bags contain high levels of lead exceeding the safety standards specified by the European Union, Al-Riyadh daily reported.

 

Also, there is a lack of legislation ensuring they are manufactured according to environmental standards that guarantee users’ safety and that they are disposed of safely, she claimed.

 

Abu Ras said another danger of these bags is that they are not biodegradable and contain carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and nitrogen.

 

She said: “It is necessary to admit the seriousness of the problem that poses a threat to our health and the environment.

 

She claimed the volume of plastic waste accounts for 17.5 percent of an individual’s waste, around 280 grams a day.

 

Abu Ras urged officials and those involved in environmental protection in the Kingdom to help curb plastic bag usage.

 

“We should not stay handcuffed to a substance that will only break down after 1,000 years.”

 

She said laws that protect the consumer and general environmental regulations are either not strong enough or not being implemented properly.

 

She recommended forcing plastic factories to add biological materials to speed up the biodegradability of plastic bags and also find a mechanism to recycle such waste.

 

Abu Ras suggested the formation of a committee consisting of representatives of the Presidency for Meteorology and the Environment (PME); Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO); Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA); the ministries of commerce and industry, health and municipal and rural affairs; and Saudi Environment Society to tackle the pollution caused by plastic bags.

 

She said: “Its task will be to approve the standards and specifications for plastics.

 

“It will also force plastics factories in the Kingdom to comply with standards for the manufacture of plastic bags, aside from using raw biological materials for improving the properties of bags and speeding up their biodegradability.

 

“Penalties should be imposed on those that do not implement the regulations.”