Now, Japanese man in Nara develops 'edible' plastic bag to save deer population

A Japanese man decided to find a solution to the plastic problem by making "edible" plastic to protect his town's sacred deer.

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Hidetoshi Matsukawa in Japan's Nara town found out that deer were dying after consuming plastic bags left by tourists.

There are several hundred deer found in Nara located in south-central Honshu. It is a popular tourist destination in the country. 

Matsukawa teamed up with a local paper manufacturer in Nara to develop deer paper called "Shikagami" made from rice bran and milk.

The Japanese man says the bags are also tested safe for human consumption. The plastic to be used as shopping bags will now help to protect the deer population in the city which was severely scarred due to plastic consumption.

A study found recently that 14 million tonnes of plastic pieces less than 5 mm wide are likely present at the bottom of the oceans. Microplastics has a diameter of 5 mm or less and is generally formed after it breaks away from bigger plastic items. 

In fact, a group of scientists have created a “super-enzyme” which they say will help to solve the world’s plastic problems. The enzyme is derived from bacteria that evolved the ability to eat plastic.

According to the latest country-wise data, China is the biggest source of plastic bottles, bags and other rubbish clogging global sea lanes. Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute while up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year.