A study carried out in Bangladesh has found that the country's teenagers and young people are the most responsible for plastic pollution, which harms the environment.

The study says these young people use more single-use plastic products, the kind that are used only once.

The findings come at a time when efforts are under way around the world to discourage single-use plastic products, with the aim of sharply reducing the use of plastic overall.

Just think how widely plastic products are used in your life, from brushing your teeth after waking up in the morning until you go to bed at night.

The toothbrush you use in the morning and the tube the toothpaste comes from are all made of plastic. Beyond that, plastic products have become an inseparable part of every meal and of daily life.

Because plastic does not decompose, most of the plastic products thrown away after use stay in the environment unchanged for decades.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said in a study that the bags used to carry groceries take 20 years to break down in nature.

Plastic cups used for tea, coffee, juice or soft drinks last for up to 50 years, while nappies and plastic bottles do not decompose for up to 450 years.

The study on the use of plastic products in Bangladesh was carried out by the non-government organisation Environment and Social Development Organization. It was conducted between 2018 and 2019.

Source: BBC Bangla. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.