When I think of Luang Prabang (in Laos), I usually think of clean and quaint streets. Along with sacred Buddhist temples and other beautiful scenery.

But then I came across this article. The author was talking about how plastic bags are becoming a polluting sight seen along roadsides to landing between crops.

There are also sight of rubbish mounds (mostly of plastic bags) being burn across many villages.  Which only adds to more air pollution.  It really saddens me to hear this.

A unique way to take cabbages from the market. Plastic or Rattan? Photo from EatingAsia.

An excerpt from EatingAsia:

Each item, purchased from a different vendor, will be placed into its own clear plastic bag –, and each of those bags slipped into another, larger one. Customers leave the market with their fingers dripping yellow, pink, black, red plastic bags.

Most of those bags will never see a second use. If you live or have traveled here you’ve probably seen where they can end up: alongside roads, strewn over hillsides, on beaches, blanketing land resting between crops.”

What ever happened to traditional market baskets? The nicely weaved ones that can carry loads of vegetables. Even heavy duty and reusable nylon bags and cotton bags would be a better choice.

To my surprise, not all hope is lost.  As market vendors came up with this neat idea.  Instead of “Paper or Plastic? In Luang Prabang, it’s plastic or rattan strips?”

Other vegetables that can be strung and carry this way are bamboo shoots, lettuce, and even small bunches of herbs such as peppermint. I think it’s a great idea!  

A beautiful view of Luang Prabang from the hill top . Photo from worldmartha via flickr.

Here is a description of the rattan strips as noted by Eating Asia:

“Several bunches strung together with a strip of bamboo or rattan, hung from bicycle or moto handlebars, arrive home in much better shape than if they were crammed into a plastic bag.”

I couldn’t get my hope up too high as the authors concluded by saying the plastic bags still win over this idea.  It’s modern convenience with a price to our environment. 

I do hope the people realize what they are doing to their own country.  I also hope they switch back to rattan weaved baskets, at least it comes from bamboo and can be used several times.

This would be my ideal shopping basket, it’s the “Euro Farmer’s Market Cart”. Weaved in rattan and with wheels. Available from Eco Displayware.