For many in the disabled community, the availability of plastic straws is essential for their well-being and survival. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. 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. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. What do the bans accomplish? "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. 12 Compelling Reasons For Banning Plastic Bags [2023 Update] - MindsetEco If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned - manufacturer, factory LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. Paper vs. 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. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. 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. Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. 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. Using a straw directs a concentrated stream of liquid onto a localized area of the teeth, which can cause the enamel to wear away and lead to dental disease. Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. In fact, plastic bags are considered by many recycling facilities the number one contaminant and their removal from the recycling stream costs municipalities close to $1 million a year [18]. 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. In this article, Ill go over both the pros and cons of a plastic straw ban. On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. The consumed plastic congests the digestive tracts of these animals, and can lead to health issues such as infections, painful intestinal blockage, starvation or death by suffocation. 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]. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. Some companies are taking initiative on their own. Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers. PDF Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection 15. 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. We are working hard to improve our content. Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. 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. 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. Overall, the goal of a plastic straw ban should be to increase public awareness for single-use plastics and their nasty effects on the environment. Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. If this happens, there are a few scenarios you can follow: The best thing you can do with those old plastic bags that have been stashed in that overflowing drawer in your kitchen is to recycle them. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. Straws are notorious for being readily blown away by the wind. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). We use them to drink beverages at home and we get them at almost every restaurant. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Buy in bulk. The manufacturing of reusable bags or compostable alternatives to plastic bags offers a new opportunity to create sustainable products and provide jobs that go with them. 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. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. 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. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. | | Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. Coca-Cola has said that it alone produces three million tons of plastic packaging each year, equivalent to a terrifying 200,000 plastic bottles per minute. 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. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. 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. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earths resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globemost often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and If youd like to learn more about how plastic straws negatively impact the environment, you can check out this article I wrote about the environmental impact of plastic straws. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. All rights reserved. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isnt recycled at all. Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. Author: floridadep.gov. Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area . 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. In this essay on should plastic be banned, it is very important to put forth the fact that there are many bodies of health and environmental governance around the world who argue that plastic ban can be problematic stating the following reasons-. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. However, as an environmental enthusiast, heres what I think about this ban. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | IUCN Water And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. Greentumble is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 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]. 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 plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. 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. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. For example, some disabled people may not be able to properly hold or pick up a cup, so they need to use straws to drink properly. For instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demandand the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.). Ideally, to be suitable for recycling, bags need to be clean to be accepted, which is often a problem, considering that we use them to carry groceries and potentially leaky goods. The upshot of the Sydney study is that the California bag ban reduced plastic bag consumption by 71.5% - a huge decrease. 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. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Banning straws may confer 'moral license' allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. 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. We should do likewise. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and Californias bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution. 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. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. 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. They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. 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. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? | Persuasive Writing | Scholastic In early January 2020, China joined the growing movement of more than 120 countries pledging to ban single-use plastics.The country of 1.4 billion citizens is the No. 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 . In 2015 a mere 24 of these ethane cracker facilities in the United States had the combined carbon output of 3.8 million passenger vehicles. 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. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. And cracker plantswhich break, or crack, ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic productsare energy intensive and highly polluting. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. For most, straws are not a necessity, but a convenience. Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? [Pros & Cons of a Straw Ban] 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. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - tmtnevins.com They're not alone. 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. Is the Tide Turning on Our Plastic Addiction? Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. You can be sure of one thing, though. 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.
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