BANANA LEAVES
Most stores use paper or plastic to wrap the things we buy, including foods. They do this to keep the things clean and dry. But to use paper wrapping, we must kill many trees. Plastic wrapping is cheaper than paper, so we use it much more. We use it so much that there are mountains of plastic garbage everywhere. This is very dangerous for the environment. Fish, birds and land animals are dying because they eat small pieces of plastic.(lines 1–5)
The good news is that there are other ways of wrapping things. For example, banana leaves are a cheap alternative to plastic wrapping. Many countries around the world already use them because they have many advantages. They are large, thick and very easy to use. If you wrap something in banana leaves, it will stay dry for a long time. Wrapping some foods, especially when they are hot, in banana leaves, gives the foods a very unusual taste. The foods don't taste like bananas, but they have a sweet taste that many people like.(lines 6–14)
Banana leaves also have other surprising uses. In some countries, people cook and serve traditional foods in them. Some scientists found an even more unusual use for these leaves. Their study from 2013 shows that covering a wound with banana leaves is a very successful way to treat it.(lines 15–19)
Another advantage of banana leaves is that they are cheap. Banana trees grow in many places around the world, so their leaves are easy to get. We can't always use them instead of plastic, but sometimes they are a great alternative.(lines 20–22)