The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. However, as an environmental enthusiast, heres what I think about this ban. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. Cause of environmental pollution 2. By being aware about these issues, you will be ready to present some strong arguments why plastic bags should be banned in your area and answer questions of people who will become your ally if you will persuade them about your good intentions. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. It is predicted that each year 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, with 1.152.41 tons of that plastic being carried there by major rivers all over the world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world [1]. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. Tangled in trees and fences along roads, floating in water, lying on the ground in parks and forests, surrounding garbage bins, washed off on beaches. Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. As part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace volunteers conducted an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines, sifting through tens of thousands of individual pieces across 42 countries to identify the pollutions sources. Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers. 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. One recent survey found plastics in 94 percent of tap water samples in the U.S. and in nearly every brand of bottled water. It may not seem like much, but when you imagine how many bags they have to provide throughout a year, you will quickly realize that plastic bags are costly. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. Not only does the waste destroy the land itself, but when plastic is incinerated (as is the case for unrecyclable plastic at some illegal facilities) its toxic fumes quickly become a health hazard for residents, leading to everything from skin rashes to cancer. Required fields are marked *. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Help raise awareness of fellow consumers that means everyone when you think about it (unless they dont shopever). 1. 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. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. You can be sure of one thing, though. Plastic waste that clogs water drainage channels and river tributaries of many Asian cities increases exposure of residents to water-borne diseases, as it creates a toxic soup that remains stranded in one place for prolonged periods of time. Its Plastic Incineration. Why is plastic bad for the environment? 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). We should also try to give up plastic straws if we are capable of doing so. We should do likewise. So, retailers incorporate this cost hiddenly into prices of other items sold at stores. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. Thats bad news for our carbon reduction goals: if plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plantseven as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. What do the bans accomplish? 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. Gas, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. 1. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. While these countries and municipalities have been making strides in their part of reducing circulation of plastic bags, in total there are 195 countries in the world [19] and the issue of plastic pollution is still getting out of our hands. 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. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. In addition, despite the fact that the FDA has deemed this to be safe for consumption, chemicals from the plastic may seep into liquids, releasing substances that have the potential to influence estrogen levels. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. What can I do for you? Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. Plastic bags. Sugar and oils are too expensive. Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area . About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. Even human footprints left in the sand represent mountain-like obstacles in their path and waves washing up on the beach are another challenge, as they thrust them back on the dry land to try once again before finally being picked up by a return current and start swimming for their life. Participate in beach or river cleanups. 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. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds will no longer be sold in Britain as part of a plan to eradicate "avoidable plastic waste" by 2042, and Prime Minister Theresa May actively called on other leaders in the Commonwealth to implement similar policies. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? . What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? These dyes on their own can leach toxins, but they can also be contaminated with traces of heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, both of which affect kidney health and proper functioning of other organs. 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. 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. Divers, for example, descend 130 feet under the water, seek unique-looking creatures, and observe the marine world in all its glory. In my opinion, plastic straws should not be banned outright, because many disabled people require plastic straws to drink. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. On other issues, from overfishing to deforestation, we have seen that consumer-facing companies like McDonalds, Unilever and Walmart can be exquisitely sensitive to the concerns of their customers. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just ten rivers carry 93 percent of the worlds total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year. But, are paper straws really better for the environment? Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. Exposure to microplastics, as well as the chemicals that are added to plastics during processing, harm our health. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. update email soon. A 2018 study of coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific has confirmed that plastic waste deposited on coral reefs promotes outbreaks of diseases that gradually destroy whole reef colonies [12]. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. 2. Greenwashing Alert: Chemical Recycling Isnt Actually Recycling. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as time and place elements, style, and grammar); you cant resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you cant republish our material wholesale or automaticallyyou need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when youve used one of our stories. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. Another indirect danger of plastic bags has breeding ground in the pollution they create. Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuelbased chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after useoften, in mere minutes. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy A 2017 Environmental Sciences and Technology study reported that up to 95 percent of plastic waste enters oceans from one of 10 riverseight in Asia and two in Africa. 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. Straws, Ives says, made the perfect target: too inconsequential to really be missed but so ubiquitous that their absence would be noticed. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step, offering a natural place to start with low-hanging fruit so long as its part of a much more fundamental shift away from single-use plastics across the value chains of these companies and our economy. This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. Theyve even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Other states such as Hawaii, cities such as Seattle and New York, and corporations such as Amazon and Starbucks are also considering or have initiated plastic phase-out plans. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earths resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste. Harmful to human health 6. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. The answer isnt as simple as you may think: While its true that paper straws arent as harmful as plastic straws, this doesnt mean that, Read More Paper vs. If the answer is yes, you should know that this inadvertent overconsumption of single-use plastic carries with it a very high cost to the environment, which in turn also negatively affects our health. Forty years after the launch of the first universal recycling symbol, only 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. How? Plastic waste, mostly broken down into tiny particles, floats in huge blobs amid ocean current patterns called gyres that together cover as much as 40 percent of Earth's ocean surface. The first answer to this question that comes to everyones mind is to stop using plastic bags, right? Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. For many of us it is hard to imagine that something as small as a plastic bag can actually cause flooding, but residents of some cities in Bangladesh have been struggling with this problem every monsoon season for the past two decades [3]. 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. 4. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. | | The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. Heres everything you need to know before plastic carryout bags disappear from the Empire State on March 1. The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world. No! 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. Plastic straws are everywhere we look. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? 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. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Will others? 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. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. 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]. A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. . To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? 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. According to a study carried out in 2013, up to 35 percent of turtle deaths were caused by plastic ingestion and the probability that sea turtles will consume even more plastic increases every year [9]. They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7]. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. Additionally, someone has to pay the cost of dealing with plastic bags in the waste stream. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. Yes, it should. Communities with good awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags have been more successful at enforcing the ban [20]. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. But should plastic straws really be banned? For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animals body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages. Not only is plastic estimated to kill millions of marine animals and seabirds each year, but its also contaminating seafood that humans have relied on for millennia, particularly with microplastics in animals guts. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Search for jobs related to Reasons why smoking should be banned articles or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled "Plastic Pollution."But China announced it plans to outlaw the production and sale of . Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. CRIDDLE:We need to think about what incentives will promote a culture of recycling and innovation with respect to waste streams. For example, a reusable jute bag should last at least 4 years, during which it can prevent the use of 600 single-use plastic bags. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. We can also decrease costs through improved bioprocessing methods, through metabolic engineering and by exploring and harnessing the incredible diversity of bioplastic-making systems that evolution has already created. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. Its possible that using a plastic straw would make it easier for you to drink without spilling, but the long-term expenses are not worth it. State Disclosures. Plastic bags have become such a nuisance because we as consumers use them excessively even when not needed and authorities havent figured out effective ways of dealing with them as waste. We will 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. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash.
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