The Carnival hosted one particularly interesting stall. This stall was set up by the Citizens for a Clean Karachi (C.C.K) - a group of women volunteers working on a self-help basis to rid Karachi of the single-use plastic bags' menace. The group is particularly focused on creating awareness against the excessive usage of plastic bags or shoppers as they cause long term environmental damage. They are working to promote the use of cloth/ canvas bags as a more environment friendly alternative.
Single-use plastic bags have many disadvantages. They are: dangerous for all life forms whether human, animal or plant; toxic if burnt and release fumes that cause diseases such as cancer; detrimental to fertility of agricultural soil; often found blocking gutters and drains; a traffic hazard as empty bags sometimes fly out of nowhere onto vehicles, obstructing visibility.
The rampant use of plastic bags has turned Karachi into a huge garbage dump! Karachi's residents can curtail this plastic bag menace by taking a few simple steps, such as:
1. Refusing to accept shoppers from stores
2. Reusing the plastic bags already at home multiple times
3. Recycling plastic bags into other useful items such as furniture for gardens and parks
4. Reducing the use of plastic bags and replacing them with cloth or canvas bags as an eco-friendly alternative. People should carry cloth bags with them or keep them in their vehicles for use during shopping.
Milk, yogurt, eggs etc. may be carried home from shops in glass or metal containers which can be used again and again.
5. Becoming a volunteer of CCK and working with them to make Karachi clean again.-PR