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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. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. We should do likewise. Which brings us to the second part. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. 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. Plastic bags. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces. 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. 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. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . We do not know the full impact of microplastics exceeding the mass of plankton in the ocean. Some companies are taking initiative on their own. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. 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. But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. Why Plastic Bags And Straws Should Not Be Banned Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in the mid-19th century, it wasnt until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. 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. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. Not easy to recycle 7. On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags. By 2030, CEO James Quincey has pledged to use 50 percent recycled material in its bottles and cans and recycle one bottle or can. 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. (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. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. 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. Why is plastic bad for the environment? Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. (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. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. 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. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. 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. Forty years after the launch of the first universal recycling symbol, only 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. What to do with plastic bags you already have at home? The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. How? According to the findings of a study that was carried out in 2019 by students at the University of Washington, 78 percent of respondents used straws made of biodegradable materials that are in compliance with the prohibition, and 68 percent used utensils that are in compliance with the ban. Plastic bag bansideally accompanied by a fee on paper bagsare also catching on. 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. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. All Rights Reserved. For many in the disabled community, the availability of plastic straws is essential for their well-being and survival. Oene Moedt-Foto Natura/Minden via National Geographic Images, Major Corporations and Single-Use Plastics, secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and research has suggested that human exposure, 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic, one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector, could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030, an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines. Nows the Time. Problematic degradation 4. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. As plastic bags tend to get caught in recycling machinery, most recycling facilities do not have the capacity to recycle plastic bags and therefore do not accept them. 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. 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. While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but free.. Busca trabajos relacionados con Reasons why smoking should be banned articles o contrata en el mercado de freelancing ms grande del mundo con ms de 22m de trabajos. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned, [1] https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf, [2] https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/getting-rid-of-plastic-bags-a-windfall-for-supermarkets-but-it-wont-do-much-for-the-environment/, [3] https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/2018/04/09/plastic-chokes-dhakas-drainage/, [4] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bags-petroleum/, [5] https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2935417&page=1, [6] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/, [7] https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124006/pdf, [8] https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/rare-sea-turtles-eating-plastic-at-record-rate, [9] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cobi.12126, [10] http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=934, [11] http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/12/plastic-bags-and-animals-making-the-wild-safe-for-wildlife/, [12] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460, [13] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/22/microplastics-found-in-human-stools-for-the-first-time, [14] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bag-clean-costs/, [15] http://www.bagmonster.com/2010/04/the-true-cost-of-single-use-bags.html, [16] http://www.cep.unep.org/cep-documents/unep-press-release-on-the-effects-of-plastic-waste-on-marine-ecosystems.pdf, [17] https://greentumble.com/can-plastic-bags-be-recycled/, [18] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bag-clean-costs/, [19] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-countries-are-in-the-world.html, [20] https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. 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. On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. If plastic straws are completely banned, local small businesses like boba tea shops will have to look for pricier alternatives. Well, lets have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now. Such materials already exist in nature. Read more about us. Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesnt come without consequences. 4. NDLA National Disability Leadership Alliance: Nothing About Us Without Us. Theyve even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. The people of Macon, Georgia, saw through it. 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. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. For most, straws are not a necessity, but a convenience. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. 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]. 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. How To Make A Bracelet Out Of Plastic String? 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. Thoughtful laws are needed to control the problem and at the same time encourage innovation. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. No! Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? 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.) Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. Let us know if you liked this article. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. The Last Straw: 5 Reasons You Should Ditch Plastic Straws Litter can be the first stage in a waste stream that enters waterways as plastics tossed on the street are washed away by rain or travel via storm drains into rivers and streams. 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 are working hard to improve our content. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Leape has long been a leader in ocean conservation efforts. 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. Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. In fact, plastic straws only make up around 0.03 percent of total plastic waste by mass. Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. 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. Plastic is more sanitary and safer to use than other alternatives. In effect, nature has designed this plastic for disassembly. 2. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. 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. 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. What Are Single-use Plastics and Should They Be Banned? Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. 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. They're not alone. Plastic straws are not the first iteration of straws. | | The reason to worry is that scientists do not know how our metabolism and immunity will react to the increased concentration of plastic particles in our system. If you are constantly feeling gassy, then you should definitely consider drinking beverages the old fashioned way. The bottom line of any plastic ban is that we must use less single-use plastics overall. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. 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. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - maktabyar.org 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. 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. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. Paper straws are horrible and should be taken out of circulation Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. 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. 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. High costs for cleanup 8. An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. This way, disabled people can continue to be served, while also reducing the number of plastic straws that we use. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. 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. Unfortunately, such costs are typically not included in most economic analyses, as they are not easy to calculate because the equation would have to involve many indirect variables. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. Better alternatives are available 10. 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. 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. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. 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. What about you? Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? We all are just trying to do our job well. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. In fact, the global backlash against plastic straws likely started after researchers off the coast of Costa Rica shared a viral video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose. Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. Ban of Plastic Can be Problematic. Plastic bags are everywhere. There is a lot of research now underway on the health effects of ocean plastics, but we already know that some plastics, and the chemicals that attach themselves to plastics in the water, can cause cancer, genetic disruptions and other ill effects. 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. Author: floridadep.gov. Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life. Why we shouldn't ban plastic straws Antithesis Journal 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | IUCN Water It is good for our environment, health and global climate. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. Thus, plastic straws cant be recycled. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. 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. 2023 Get Green Now. 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. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. PDF Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection