Garbage kings

Indonesia is indebted to mother nature for bestowing her magnanimity on this island country for having in possession some of the world's number one features like the longest coastline, active volcanoes, varied culture and green forests.

However, these priceless belongings are being depleted at a swashbuckling pace by the world's inmates. We have seen that though great care is being taken to design and develop variegated polyethylene bags for carrying merchandise, it is high time we devoted a little attention by looking at the other side of the coin. Even a simple thing like a greeting card is suffocated in two plastic coverings. Take-away fast foods are also subjected to the same treatment. By resorting to these plastic bags we have become one of the world's largest garbage producers. Now isn't that some kind of effrontery.

May I therefore beseech the caretakers of humanity, to inculcate the public to implement usage of the much more environmentally friendly and biodegradable packaging material (paper) as used in fast-food restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's and others. Coca Cola in a paper cup is equally palatable. I have seen this in the U.S. where paper bags are exquisitely designed and tantamount to the same aesthetic value as plastic bags.

Thus I request all my fellow countrymen to come forward and give a pugilistic approach to alleviate this problem once and for all and not try to boast being garbage kings, so that our next generation is bequeathed with a much cleaner environment.

YASHWANT AWASTHI

Purwakarta, West Java