Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

May• 2019 | 11

Goodbye, Plastic Bag

W

hen major retail

chains in Australia

decided to ban

single-useplasticbagsfrom

theirshopsin Julylastyear,i

causeda majoruproar.Some

peoplestruggledwhenthe

freeplasticbagsvanished

fromstores,whileothers

embracedtheideaand

applaudedthesupermarket

giantsforleadingthe

environmentalchange.

Sinceitsinception,the

country’stwolargest

supermarketchainshave

preventedanestimatedmore

than1.5billionbagsfrom

enteringtheenvironment,

translatingtoan 80 percent

dropin theconsumptionof

plasticbags.A winforthe

environmentandforbusiness.

Whilethisis onlya firststep,

thelongjourneytowards

riddingourlivesofplastic

bagshasstarted.

g

frameworkontobaccocontrol.

TheDeputyHealthMinister,DrLee

BoonChye,hasbannedsmokingin

alleateries,includingopen-air

restaurantsandhawkerstalls.

Theban,whichstartedonJanuary1,

2019,aimstoencouragesmokersto

quitthehabitandtoprotectnon-

smokersfromsecond-handsmoke.

Non-smokersareatriskofdeveloping

serioushealthproblemsasa resultof

smokeinhalation.Whiletherehasbeen

someresistancetotheban,DrLeesays

thatmostpeoplearesupportive.

E

ngineersattheUniversityof

Washingtonhavedevelopeda tiny

sensorsystemthatfitsontheback

ofa bumblebee.The‘backpacks’don’t

restricttheinsect’sabilitytoflyand

requireonlya tinybatterythatoperates

foruptosevenhoursata time,

rechargingwhenthebeesleeps.

Comparedwithdronescurrentlyused

tomonitorcropsthatflyfor

around 20 minutesbefore

theyneedrecharging,

thenewdevelopment

promisestobe

a hugeboost

tofarmers.

READER’SDIGEST

ss

a

t

e

Malaysia

BansSmoking

in Eateries

alaysiais makinga positive

moveandcommitting to the

WorldHealthOrganization’s

Bee Backpacks to Monitor Crops

BEE PIC: MARK STONE/UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON