Dhaka says `bag it!' (Asia).BANGLADESH -- Like many poor countries, Bangladesh is plagued by the detritus detritus /de·tri·tus/ (de-tri´tus) particulate matter produced by or remaining after the wearing away or disintegration of a substance or tissue. de·tri·tus n. pl. of discarded plastic. Each year more than 9 million polyethylene bags are tossed into the streets of Dhaka, the capital city. As many as 90 percent wind up clogging storm drains storm drain n. 1. A storm sewer. 2. A catch basin. and sewer lines. The bags do not biodegrade bi·o·de·grad·a·ble adj. Capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacteria: a biodegradable detergent. bi and when they are burned, they produce deadly hydrogen cyanide hydrogen cyanide, HCN, colorless, volatile, and extremely poisonous chemical compound whose vapors have a bitter almond odor. It melts at −14°C; and boils at 26°C;. It is miscible in all proportions with water or ethanol and is soluble in ether. gas. With the support of Environment and Forest Minister Shahjahan Siraj, the Environment and Social Development Organization [House 307/1, Road-SA, West Dhanmondi Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh, www.esdobd.org] convinced the government to impose a ban on poly-bags in Dhaka as of January 1. "Please let's come forward hand in hand to make this ban successful," ESDO activist Hossain Shahriar declared. "We can start with a polythene-free city, which will gradually lead to a polythene-free country." |
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