In my time my parents used to play songs by Donna Summer, Lionel Richie, UB40, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and some other tunes of their time. Ben Brako’s and Madonna's music never eluded parties. Yes, I'm a proud Gen X.

Gen X people were born from 1965 to 1979/80. I have been around a while, you know. I’m close to getting onto the fifth floor with a lot of hereditary silver hair to show. Today, I listen to music, all of which I cannot appreciate because, as the Nigerians will say, my time don pass. But it is okay; it’s not a big deal at all.

In my time, there were video decks, they were as huge! There were no mobile phones until we were done with university education. We used pay phones and landlines only. The moments when a boyfriend calls and says ‘I love you’ and your response is just a simple mutter of ‘same here’ because the family's immobile phone was in the living room where everyone comes to roost. Huge stuff made way for portable ones and we have some sort of privacy now, thanks to tech.

In my time, TVs were those with humps big enough to be like ones on camels’ backs. They were so obedient to slaps! Actually, hard slaps called them to order. And they were black and white. We watched programmes like TV Theatre, ‘By the Fireside’ ‘Cosby Show’ ‘Different Strokes, LA Law, etc. We didn't have options for many stations. Only one TV station and when it PAUSED, you had better go to sleep. Waiting will stress you. Now there are several stations and we have soap operas (My Gen Zs say I should call them Telenovelas) even in Twi…wow!

In my time, we wrote the Common Entrance Examination in Class Six and went to Secondary School for 7 years before going to the university for 3 years generally, but more, so for certain specialized courses. We did national service two times. One after Sixth Form and the other after university education. The narrative is not the same now, right? Gen Zs say we were in school for too long. True?

In my time we used to buy bread with bread baskets and napkins. If you had to buy cooked food like ‘Hausa koko’, ‘waakye’ or ‘fufu’, you needed to take your own bowls or flasks, with napkins to cover them. If you had to go to the grocery shop, you already had your own bag for all your bought stuff. Polythene bags were not the in-thing. There was actually more paper than there were polythene bags.

In our time there weren't so many cases of kidney diseases, allergies and conditions such as autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

So what happened to us?

We buy bread in twin polythene bags. One covering the bread and one carrying the covered bread. What kind of germ are we evading? Fantse Kenkey now wears a vest before its usual dry plantain leaf clothing. Why?

Quite sadly, we adore polythene these days. Sellers would say people get offended if you don’t give them polythene for every single thing they buy, big or small.

You should read what Nneka Nwogwugwu says in her article posted on www.naturenews.africa.

Did you know that when you put hot food in a polythene bag or foil, harmful chemicals in the foil or polythene are released into the food? Some of the harmful chemicals are Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. BPA disrupts the body’s normal functioning. Researchers have linked BPA to developmental and health problems in children, including learning and behavioural conditions like ADHD, anxiety and depression; early puberty in girls; diabetes; obesity and heart disease. Babies and children have the greatest risk of injury from BPA exposure since their bodies are growing and changing so quickly.

With regard to environmental issues, some sea creatures mistake plastic for food and eat it, you know the consequences, don't you?

Did you know plastic waste can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and even then, it never fully disappears; it just gets smaller and smaller. This data is from the UN .

So what do we do? Can we explore some alternatives?

For starters, use shopping bags that can be washed and used again and again. Fabric bags never fail. Only use polythene bags when it cannot be replaced by anything. Don’t heat food in plastic or foil unless the plastic is known to be safe when exposed to extreme heat.

There is so much I have to share but I must guard against boring you. Kindly do me a favour…anytime you are about to buy plastic ware check the triangle at the bottom. PC stands for polycarbonate which often contains BPA. Plastic labels marked "PP" stand for polypropylene, a type of plastic widely considered BPA-free.

How about using heat-resistant materials like food-grade containers and jars for storage? If you have to use Ziploc bags, let it not be for single use only.

I’m sure you can research a lot more on the what-to-dos.

Polythene and plastic can be poison.

Cheers!

Lighthearted is a page intended to release happy hormones in your system. It addresses everyday issues in a casual and informal way. Serious issues are discussed in a relaxed manner. Release the tension as you read it. It’s as breezy as it is insightful. Enjoy!

About The Author: The writer is a public servant. On the fringes, she works with words because she believes that words unleash creativity and drive action. Writing, teaching and reading are her favourite three.

Email: christadelaclarke@gmail.com