Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment. the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution, Impact of Plastic Bags on the Environment, non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources, Plastic Bag Degradation: What You Should Know, Serious Effects of Plastic Pollution on Human Health. The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass says yes and debunks the skeptics claim that in trying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, were only creating more troubles. Why? Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". Will others? When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. Single-use plastics in particularespecially small items like straws, bags, and cutleryare traditionally hard to recycle because they fall into the crevices of recycling machinery and therefore are often not accepted by recycling centers. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. What do the bans accomplish? Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world [1]. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. Ill talk about this more in the next section: By itself, a plastic straw ban is unlikely to have a large impact on the environment. Many of the chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors,and research has suggested that human exposure could cause health impacts including hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems like infertility, and even cancer. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. Harmful to human health 6. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . The truth is that we do not know yet the full scale of negative impacts plastic waste can have on marine and terrestrial environments because it hasnt been around long enough to allow us to assess possible scenarios of its influence on natural cycles. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars According to some estimates, the cost of plastic bag cleanup is about 17 cents per bag [14] and the cost is paid by us once again. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. Greenwashing Alert: Chemical Recycling Isnt Actually Recycling. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Tweet, call, or send letters to these companies to ask them to switch to more durable, recyclable, compostable, renewable, and/or recycled-content packaging with less fossil fuelderived plastic. 2. Sugar and oils are too expensive. If there is one piece of advice that everyone should remember, it would be that nothing is for free in this world. Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). But only a few of us realize that each time we accept those disposable plastic grocery bags at store checkout, we actively participate in wasting energy and depleting non-renewable resources. Plastic straws are everywhere we look. They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. To date, around 60 countries and municipalities around the world have instituted plastic bag bans, and additional seven countries are planning to enforce the law in the closest future. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname Garbage Island, companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. New and sustainable business models are needed to address the current plastic deluge and also to enable a new generation of sustainable materials and technologies. This ban has led to an increase in the demand for sustainable plastic alternatives and has also created space for several plant-based materials in the market. 1. In 2015 researchers from the University of Georgia estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic per year make their way into the oceans via people living within 30 miles of a coast. Rating: 5 (913 reviews) Highest rating: 5. This could negatively reflect on their income. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. All you need to do is paste your ZIP code and then see the list of stores with bag drop-off in your nearest location. We are working hard to improve our content. We add another 8 million tons each year thats about five grocery bags full of plastic waste on every foot of shoreline around the world, according to a recent study. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. For those governments that are opposed to full bans on plastic bags, another option is to institute a plastic bag tax, where consumers or retailers would pay a small fee for each plastic bag. Already in 2001, researchers found that the mass of microscopic plastic fragments in the North Pacific Central Gyre was 6 times higher than of plankton. 300 to 700 plastic bags pass through the hands of an average American in just one year [8] and a survey of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concluded that the average household in the United Kingdom stores around 40 plastic shopping bags at home [2]. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. Required fields are marked *. Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics), Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine Ecosystems, What Are Microplastics and Why Are They a Concern? Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 13.07.2022 Harry Brown THE TOP 10 REASONS TO DO NOT USE THE STRAW O This requires the usage of 500 million straws Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful Every day in the United States. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. Even if you can't go zero waste entirely, it's high time we all ended our reliance on single use plastics. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. . Ill also go over whether or not plastic straw bans will actually help the environment, and explain everything else youll need to know. In effect, nature has designed this plastic for disassembly. There is only one requirement these plastic bags need to be dry and clean, otherwise they contaminate the entire batch and your effort will do more harm than good. Some opposers of the plastic straw ban say that a ban is unlikely to actually help the environment, as plastic straws do not make up a large percentage of plastic in the ocean. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. Low rated: 2. Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. Additionally, awareness raising campaigns create a social pressure that should inspire local government and institutions to help in making changes at a bigger scale, like a regional ban or levy. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. The single biggest reason why people want to ban plastic straws is because of their negative effects on the environment. As a result, the actual recycling rate for plastic bags globally is between 5 to 15 percent, while in the United States it makes only 1 percent a year [17]. These costs include the true environmental costs of resource extraction and depletion, the loss of quality of life, economic loss from littering, and wildlife loss. The phthalate DEHP, as just one example from dozens, is often added to plastic goods like shower curtains and garden hoses to make them more flexiblebut was also found to be a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Some tributaries of the river have been filled with plastic waste to the level that you could almost walk across them without getting your feet wet. We should do likewise. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. Although, really, these tips can be used by anyone, not just kids. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy Cause of environmental pollution 2. The first country to ban single-use plastic bags was Bangladesh in 2002 when plastic bag litter clogged drainage channels and contributed to destructive floods. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. Items made of plastic that come into contact with food can be recycled, whereas products made of paper that absorb both food and garbage cannot. Plastic bags floating in the ocean resemble jellyfish, one of the main sources of food for some species of sea turtles, especially the critically-endangered Leatherback turtles. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. We should just stick to plastic. that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. Overall, the main reason for a plastic straw ban is to help the environment by preventing plastic straws pollution. However, in 2014, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supported the first project to calculate the real cost of plastic, including adverse environmental impacts of its production, use and disposal. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. Also, giving a speech in . The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. Since plastic bag recycling requires a specialized equipment that can break down the plastic and mold it into a new product, most municipalities do not have the budget to include their recycling in their waste management program. Paper vs. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isnt recycled at all. To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage. Because of this, the plants and wildlife in the area have a potential risk of absorbing the microplastics through their diets and drinking water. But should plastic straws really be banned? They are also capable of being ingested by fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, which in turn causes the animals injury and, in the case of fish, allows them to enter the human food chain. Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. 2023 Get Green Now. You can share this article on social media by using the share buttons below. Made from fossil fuels 3. Plastic straws, being so lightweight and non-biodegradable, are readily carried into the water, where they eventually break down into smaller and smaller pieces of microplastic. If plastic straws are completely banned, local small businesses like boba tea shops will have to look for pricier alternatives. The following are ten lines on why plastic bags need to be prohibited: 1) The careless disposal of trash in plastic bags leads to an increase in litter.2) The use of plastic bags contributes to the depletion of our natural resources, including water, trees, and agricultural products.3) Because of the danger it causes to marine life, the total Oil and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources and through their extraction and production, they emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change. The cashier usually understands, only had to do what instructed and what most customers expect (unfortunately) from him or her. However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it. The process of drilling for plastics source materials, oil and gas, leads to methane leaking and flaring and is often combined with clearing forests and wetlands that otherwise would have sequestered carbon. 82 percent of the responding food service establishments were aware of the prohibition, and 69 percent of those establishments viewed the ban favorably. What does occur in most instances is that when out in the environment, the plastic breaks up into tiny microscopic pieces that get deposited in soils (where we grow food) or contaminate waterways. Exposure to microplastics, as well as the chemicals that are added to plastics during processing, harm our health. Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. The first is to invest in better waste collection in the handful of countries that account for most of the plastic flowing into the ocean. Now, lets get into the negatives of a plastic straw ban: While banning plastic straws might help the environment in some aspects (well talk about this later), there are also many reasons against (or cons) of a plastic straw ban. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. Car Modifications for Electric Vehicles: Whats Possible. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion. In the United States alone, statistics reach up to 12 million barrels of oil that are used each year to produce even more plastic bags 100 billion more, to give you the precise number [5]. Such materials already exist in nature. How To Make A Bracelet Out Of Plastic String? BY Rob Jordan, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, As Colorado River wanes, water supplies and ecosystems hang in the balance, Riverfront forest restoration can deliver outsized benefits, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, An AI solution to climate models gravity wave problem, Beavers will become a bigger boon to river water quality as U.S. West warms. She can remember all of her vehicles the Pontiac 6000, her familys car that was passed on to her when she went to college; the Volkswagen Rabbit, and later Fox, that took her through young adulthood; the Honda Civics,, Read More Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics)Continue, Whether youre a scuba diver, snorkeler, or amateur swimmer, the ocean is a playground where you come to explore the beauty of nature and the difference from your regular lifes environment. Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. There are numerous reasons why PLA straws are not the right substitute for plastic straws . Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. As it turns out, many microorganisms make moldable bioplastic polymers that are fully degradable. Yes, it should. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. It is estimated that there are now 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. Animals living in the ocean might frequently confuse the plastic for food. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. Without proper education, few people would know the purpose of the ban, and they would continue using other single-use plastics which could be even worse for the environment. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in the mid-19th century, it wasnt until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. There are definitely differing opinions on whether or not plastic straws should be banned. 4. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. A complete ban on plastic straws would harm disabled people, which definitely isnt the goal of such a ban. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, microplastics are so small that they move straight through water filtration, Read More What Are Microplastics and Why Are They a Concern? Its Plastic Incineration. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. Spare Yourself the Guilt Trip This Earth DayIts Companies That Need to Clean Up Their Acts, These Fanciful Sea Creatures Were Carried in on the Tide. Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. You should examine what alternatives are available and whether local retailers, who often operate with a limited monthly budget, have the ability to make the switch. More and more states are looking to pass a new kind of recycling law that asks manufacturers to foot the bill for the waste created by their products. This way, disabled people can continue to be served, while also reducing the number of plastic straws that we use. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. Es gratis registrarse y presentar tus propuestas laborales. According to estimates made by scientists, there are 7.5 million polluting straws around the shores of the United States, and anywhere from 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws throughout the coastlines of the rest of the globe. We all know what the debate is between plastic and paper straws but paper straws are horrible they will immediately break apart in your mouth and feel horrible. Most retailers will get your point, but it can also happen that they will not be willing to sell you some products without placing it in their plastic bags because of having to oblige with some hygiene and sanitary standards (for example when selling meat products).