By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, April 29: The harmful effects of discarded plastic straws on the environment has to be incalculated early in schools, says Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng.
He said plastic straws, unlike other natural materials such as paper, wood, or cotton used to manufacture most single-use items, are not biodegradable.
The straws may degrade over an extremely long period of time and as they degrade, they also exude harmful chemicals such as bisphenol (BPA) detrimental to health and the environment.
“And most single-use plastic straws are never designed to be recycled and thus, difficult to recycle. Depositing the plastic straws into landfills so that they can degrade may be an environmentally friendly solution but in reality, the used plastic straws often have a much worse destination: water bodies such as rivers and ocean.
“Plastic straws that wash into the rivers and seas pose a threat to marine wildlife, as they degrade into small particles over time; making them easier for birds, animals and larger fish to ingest.
“This way microplastics enter the food chain and may, ultimately be consumed by us humans too,” he said when officiating the presentation of prizes of the ‘Say No To Plastic Straws’ poster design competition held at MBKS building today.
Wee further commended the participation of young children in the competition where he believed that they can also learn about the harm that plastic straws may cause to the environment and health.
“And the parents and the teachers have to play their roles too in this.
“Please educate and instill them (children) with the knowledge of environment protection and sustainability.
“The Council too will do their part to sustain their learning through various environmental related programmes,” he added.
At the event, Owen Sim Jia Chun emerged winner of the poster design competition.
Meanwhile, Kimberly Mong Xin Hui and Zoe Phiong finished in second and third place, respectively. — DayakDaily
