No to Plastic Containers

French people who used to serve their food and drinks in disposable plastic plates, cups, and mugs are facing a new situation. The law banning the use of plastic containers will restrict restaurant owners, fast food vendors, and cafes. The complete program can be heard: A home, a land 118; the ban on the use of plastic containers in France and the electrocution of birds. Saying goodbye to plastic containers will be definitive in four years, by the year 2020. From this date, all disposable containers must be made from natural materials and be compostable. This is not the first time that plastic has been associated with the word 'banned' in France; at the beginning of summer, the use of plastic bags in stores was also banned, and customers had to carry cloth or paper bags. Jalal Ijadi, an environmental expert in Paris, explains the reasons for the plastic ban in France: "French society has long been aware that the consumption of plastic items, from bags and sacks to spoons and forks, should be reduced and gradually eliminated. About 75% of plastic bags end up in the oceans, causing extensive environmental pollution and endangering human health." The proposal to ban plastic consumption has been shaped over the years by the ideas and efforts of environmental activists in France, an idea that faced significant opposition. It is said that it takes 300 to 500 years for plastic containers to decompose in nature. However, supporters of the increasing consumption of plastic containers and bags have outnumbered opponents in most countries. Behind this tendency are large companies and factories that would suffer losses with the banning of plastic, which is increasingly harming nature. As Jalal Ijadi, a researcher and environmental expert in France, states, governments must also consider economic infrastructure for such restrictions and bans. The increase in production, low prices, quick access, and easy transportation of disposable containers in Iran have also replaced traditional and more nature-friendly containers. The volume of disposable containers during certain religious days, such as the months of Muharram and Safar and the days leading up to elections, becomes so large that municipalities struggle to collect them. According to IRNA news agency, over 177,000 tons of plastic are produced in Iran each year; a massive volume of plastic waste that fills cities, villages, beaches, rivers, and seas. Alongside this statistic, one must also consider the plastic bags used for purchasing fruits, vegetables, and groceries. In some Scandinavian countries, renewable containers made from plant starch, corn, and potatoes have gradually been replaced. The use of these containers has quietly and steadily engaged producers, sellers, and customers with ideas of environmental care and health, making them an essential part of people's lives. Electrocution of birds around the Miqan wetland. Steppe eagles have been coming from Siberia to Iran in the summer for years. They become guests of the desert wetland Miqan in the central province to stay there for the winter. This bird, which has been listed as an endangered species this year, apparently frequents the waste dump area in Arak, and since it prefers semi-desert and foothill areas for food, it is more commonly seen in these regions. However, ISNA news agency has reported that those birds of prey that visit the Arak waste dump in search of food have collided with one of the high-voltage power poles in the area and have perished. According to ISNA, electrocution has now become one of the causes of bird deaths in this region. This mortality, as stated by Iman Memarian, a veterinarian at the Pardisan Wildlife Clinic in Tehran, has simple prevention methods: "The method recommended by the United Nations to prevent bird electrocution could be costly for Iran, which is to bury high-voltage power lines underground. However, other simpler methods include using blinking lights on high-voltage power poles or installing special balls on the wires so that birds can see the wires and stay away. The distance between the wires is also very important." Nevertheless, Iman Memarian states that this bird faces more dangers than electrocution from other hazardous issues in this area: "It is likely that the waste management in the Arak area is inadequate, and instead of focusing on high-voltage power conditions, the waste situation in the area should be addressed." However, it is reported that among the reasons for the decline in the population of these endangered birds, electrocution, hunting, and poison are killing them in this area.