By: Sani Firmansyah and Ciptanti Putri

The city of Bandung is a favorite weekend shopping destination for the people of Jakarta and surrounding areas. As a result, the level of use of plastic bags as a container for consumer goods is high, potentially generating plastic bag waste. Therefore, on Thursday (27/8), an event titled "Regional Action Campaign to Reduce the Use of Plastic Bags" was held to mark the beginning of the commitment of the Environmental Management Center together with the Bandung City Government in reducing the use of plastic bags. The event was attended by 14 retailers, traditional markets, a number of schools, and the people of Bandung who are expected to actively support this effort.

Ridwan Kamil, Mayor of Bandung, in his speech asked every supermarket to reduce the use of plastic bags and give reward to consumers who bring their own shopping bags and do not ask for plastic bags. ""Reducing the use of plastic bags has been launched as a Bandung City program. It is expected that all citizens will familiarize themselves to reduce the use of plastic bags. The man who is familiarly called Kang Emil added that the habit of parents in the past to bring their own shopping bags when going to the market needs to be encouraged again. In addition, Kang Emil also urged his citizens to replace the habit of consuming drinks and food in plastic packaging with refillable ones.

Meanwhile, Head of BPLH Bandung City, Hikmat Ginanjar, emphasized to all Bandung residents, business people, and the government to seriously try to reduce the use of plastic bags. "This is to anticipate pollution to the place where we live today, namely the earth. As we all know, plastic waste is difficult to be decomposed by micro organisms so that it can poison the soil."

On that occasion, Bumi Panda participated in a booth filled with various environmental education activities. As a partner of the environmental community and the government, Bumi Panda will continue to support efforts that lead to nature conservation and the cultivation of behaviors that are oriented towards a green lifestyle.