In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. 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. 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 . 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. What do the bans accomplish? 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. 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 That is why the United Nations Environmental Programme Secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags globally. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? edinburgh airport address. 15. 5 Metals in your Home that can be Recycled for Cash, How exactly bidets offer a healthier, green option for your bathroom, A Closer Look at General Motors (GM) Sustainability Initiatives. Since their birth, baby turtles have only one goal to get to the sea and swim into deep waters where they will feed and if successful grow into adult turtles. Stanford Reportspoke withJim Leape, co-director of theStanford Center for Ocean Solutions, andCraig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, about the path to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. According to a study that was published by Bloomberg News, it is predicted that the percentage of contaminated ocean water that is caused by plastic straws and stirrers is a shockingly modest 0.03 percent. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. Logically, the key to starting a change in your community is education. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. 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. CRIDDLE:We need to think about what incentives will promote a culture of recycling and innovation with respect to waste streams. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. How exactly does the use of plastic do harm to the environment?Plastic has a very long half-life in the environment, during which it poses a danger to animals and spreads toxic chemicals.Additionally, plastic is a contributor to the warming of the planet.Nearly every type of plastic is manufactured using chemicals that are leftover from the manufacturing of fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming (gas, oil and even coal). Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. Thanks for signing up. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. This is the case particularly in Southeast Asia, which has begun to import much of the plastic that used to go to China for recycling. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. However, if a plastic straw ban is properly implemented with education about single-use plastics, then the ban could encourage the public to reduce their usage of other single-use plastics as well. Let us know if you liked this article. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. 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. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. In effect, nature has designed this plastic for disassembly. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. Using these non-renewable resources to make plastic bags is very short-sighted, considering that the typical useful life of each plastic bag is about 12 minutes and that the worlds oil reserves contain enough oil to cover our needs through 2050, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates. CRAIG CRIDDLE: In addition to recycling more and reusing materials more, we need new materials that can do the same jobs as current plastics, but are biodegradable, nontoxic and do not concentrate in food chains. The explanation is quite simple. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. 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. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. Some countries have decided to do so after directly experiencing negative impacts of plastic bags, other countries have implemented the ban to reach their sustainability goals. You cannot recycle them in the regular curbside collection of plastic, but you should be able to find many larger food stores and retailers (for example: Target, Walmart, Tesco, Morrisons, etc.) 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. But should plastic straws really be banned? The inaccuracy of this number calls into doubt the veracity of the overall case against using plastic straws as a drinking implement. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. The problem with plastic straws is that they are one of the biggest causes of unnecessary plastic pollution. By 2030, CEO James Quincey has pledged to use 50 percent recycled material in its bottles and cans and recycle one bottle or can. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. We use them to drink beverages at home and we get them at almost every restaurant. In the United States, California has banned single-use plastic bags in 2016, but the city of San Francisco has locally issued this ban already in 2012 and consumers pay a little fee for other alternatives like compostable bags or recycled paper bags. According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. 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. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion. In this article, Ill go over both the pros and cons of a plastic straw ban. In the spirit of eliminating waste, plastic straws appeared to be a way to further the cause: straws aren't essential to the dining experience, and by banning them, oceans, streets, and general society would theoretically benefit. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. (Everything You Need To Know)Continue, Many restaurants have banned plastic straws due to their harmful effects on the environment, and have switched to paper alternatives instead. Your email address will not be published. You can be sure of one thing, though. Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. And, if you dont like wearing the same shirt or pants, Read More Dont wash it if it doesnt look dirtyContinue, At age 50, Kay is a little over halfway through her life as a driver. All Rights Reserved. Plastic straws are not the first iteration of straws. One recent survey found plastics in 94 percent of tap water samples in the U.S. and in nearly every brand of bottled water. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Additionally, a plastic straw ban could also act as a gateway into other single-use plastic bans for items like plastic bottles and plastic bags, which are worse for the environment than plastic straws. What is the root of the problem (consumers or municipal waste management)? 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. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. Communities with good awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags have been more successful at enforcing the ban [20]. Straws are notorious for being readily blown away by the wind. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. This includes waste collection, regular cleanups to remove plastic bag litter along the roads or blown away from landfills and then even processing at landfill sites. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. 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 crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? There are numerous reasons why PLA straws are not the right substitute for plastic straws . Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. 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 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]. Starting in the 1960s, plastic straw manufacturing took off. (Source: Water in the West), Analysis reveals how restoring relatively narrow forest buffers could substantially improve regional water quality and carbon storage in Costa Rica and elsewhere. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). No! Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. . 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. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. 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. They're not alone. This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in the mid-19th century, it wasnt until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. 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. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. Facebook; Contact Now . Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. Participate in beach or river cleanups. Individual actions can lead to collective actions. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. 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. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. 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 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. 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? Plastic bag bansideally accompanied by a fee on paper bagsare also catching on. Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Better alternatives are available 10. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. by TFK Kid Reporter Maria Suarez, 10 Bellaire, Texas Plastic straws should not be banned until we can find alternatives that are affordable, environmentally friendly, and acceptable for disabled people. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. 4. "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . Microplastics were found in soft drinks like Coca Cola, in tap water, in seafood It has contaminated our food chain, so it should not surprise us that it can be tracked in our body. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. You probably already saw the video, but if you didnt, you can watch it below (WARNING: Graphic Content): Supporters of plastic straw bans claim that the ban will help reduce our use of single-use plastics. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. But, are paper straws really better for the environment? On average, taxpayers end up paying about $88 per year just on plastic bag waste [15]. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. Plastic is more sanitary and safer to use than other alternatives. It has been projected that, if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment. 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. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good. 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]. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? High costs for cleanup 8. What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? Because they are so lightweight, plastic bags get easily picked up by wind and travel long distances by wind and water to pollute the nature. 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. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. Ms. LISA PAI . 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but free.. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. We are working hard to improve our content. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. The single biggest reason why people want to ban plastic straws is because of their negative effects on the environment. This form of ban could lead to a reduction in landfill across the country, going a long way to protect the nature and serenity of the area. A study analyzes water transactions that leave water in the river, and shows how they could be scaled up to avert cuts for major water users while supporting imperiled ecosystems. Criddle and Leape are also senior fellows at theStanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. Leape has long been a leader in ocean conservation efforts. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. Sugar and oils are too expensive. Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. The most common are inorganic dyes that are added to change the color of plastic bags. Another indirect danger of plastic bags has breeding ground in the pollution they create. female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Shuddering and unable to breathe, he vomited up five plastic bags. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. 82 percent of the responding food service establishments were aware of the prohibition, and 69 percent of those establishments viewed the ban favorably. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. What Is Plastic Made Of And How Is It Manufactured? Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. 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. However, as an environmental enthusiast, heres what I think about this ban. Theyve even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Usc Business School Undergraduate, North Clayton Middle School Bus Schedule, Paul Giamatti Spider Man, Terms Such As Mulatto And Mestizo Refer To, Palatine, Il Zoning Ordinance, Articles OTHER