Introduction
Plastic bags are everywhere in our environment. We use plastic bags because they are convenient to use when we buy groceries. In fact, in modern life, plastic bags have become a part of us. However, the convenience of plastic bags has a very high cost to the environment and negatively impacts human health.
Several cities worldwide have begun banning plastic bags, and some are restricting the use of plastic bags because of their harmful effects.
Also, the use of plastic bags is considered one of the biggest problems faced by modern people. Cities like China have banned the use of plastic. Bangladesh and India have prohibited the use and sale of polyethylene bags less than 50 microns thick.
Plastic bags are part of our modern life, and we tend not to think much about them. It is estimated that up to 160,000 plastic bags are used per second worldwide.
An average of 300 to 700 plastic bags pass through the hands of Americans a year, and an average of 40 plastic bags are kept in a British home.
What about you? Do you have a lot of plastic bags at home from your shopping trips?
If your answer is yes, it should be noted that careless overconsumption of these disposable plastics entails a very high cost to the environment, which negatively impacts our health.
Some powerful reasons why we should ban plastic bags
- Plastic bags are toxic.
Plastic bags are full of toxic and harmful chemicals containing estrogen-like substances.
According to an Environmental Health Perspectives report, plastic mimics hormonal properties, and plastic products release estrogen-like chemicals.
This is dangerous because hormones such as estrogen interfere with the way our bodies act, causing hormonal imbalances that can have serious health effects.
- Plastic bags are harmful to wildlife and marine life.
Marine creatures, such as seabirds, sea turtles, fish, and other marine animals, often consume plastic bags and other plastic ingredients mistakenly for food.
Eating these plastic ingredients can cause the digestive system to become congested, infecting health and causing suffocation. Animals can also be easily entangled inside plastic materials.
The Green Tumble reports that nearly 35 percent of turtle deaths are caused by plastic consumption. According to ABC News reports, 25 bags were found in the stomach of a crocodile during an autopsy performed in Australia in 2008.
As reported by National Geographic, almost all seabirds are eating plastic. There is an enormous amount of plastic that flows in the ocean, and plastic can be found in 90% of seabirds.
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, the future looks bleak unless we slow down the production and waste of plastic bags. In the end, there may be more plastic than fish in the sea.
- Plastic bags are expensive and hard to clean or remove.
Cleaning plastic bags costs about 17 cents per bag. Therefore, a taxpayer pays about $88 for plastic bag waste each year.
Cities spend millions of dollars each year managing landfills. So, the taxpayers spend money on keeping plastic bags forever.
This plastic bag is also 3-5 cents each. Therefore, plastic that is considered free is not free after all. Individuals also pay a lot of money to buy and reuse them. For this reason, plastic should be banned.
- Plastic bags are consumed in extremely high volumes.
The biggest problem with plastic bags is that the amount of bags used is significant. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. consumed 102.1 billion “polyethylene retail carrier bags,” more commonly known as plastic carryout bags, in a year.
Also, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, every household in the U.S. uses about 885 plastic bags a year or 17 plastic bags a week. One reusable bag the size of a grocery bag can hold up to four plastic bags if appropriately packed, so only four reusable bags are needed to remove 17 plastic bags a week. One hundred two billion plastic bags could be removed if every American household used four reusable bags each week.
- Plastic carry bags are disposable rather than reusable.
Plastic carry-on bags are designed and manufactured for one-time use rather than reuse. Thin-film plastic carryout bags are more petite than 2.25 mils thick.
This ultra-thin and light plastic carrier bag carries more than 100 times its weight. According to a survey, plastic carryout bags could be used for about ten years but are discarded 12 minutes after use.
Some are reused a few times, but most are thrown away immediately. According to the EPA, 88% of plastic bags are improperly disposed of, and only 12% are recycled.
- Plastic bags pollute our land and water.
Plastic bags are everywhere. If you look around, you can see that plastic bags are the most common trash. They are tangled in trees and fences along the road, float in water, lie in the park and the forest, wash up on the beach, and are scattered around the trash can.
Because plastic bags are so light, they are easily caught by the wind and move long distances and water to pollute nature.
Plastic bag waste has even caused a big problem in some areas. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags block drains and sewers in Bangladesh’s urban areas. When monsoon rains begin, the streets are flooded after the first few minutes because water cannot pass through clogged sewer pipes.
For many people, it is hard to believe that a small plastic bag can cause flooding, but residents of some cities in Bangladesh have struggled with this problem every season.
Also, the Pasig River in the Philippines is a scary example of the adverse effects of plastic bags on the environment. River tributaries are full of plastic waste that if you walk on it, it will keep your feet from getting wet. Unfortunately, such high levels of pollution do not come without consequences. The Pasig River is one of the world’s top 8 sources of marine plastic pollution.
- Plastic bags never break down.
Oil-based plastic bags consist of highly resistant synthetic polymers that may take up to 1,000 years to completely decompose in a natural environment. Some of them may never completely decompose.
What happens most often is that plastic deposits in the soil or breaks down into tiny pieces that pollute the waterways when in the environment. These pieces are small that they may not be visible to our eyes.
However, we can be sure of one thing. Even when we can’t see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including the food chain.
In 2001, researchers discovered that fine pieces of plastic in the North Pacific Central Gyre were six times as large as plankton. Subtropical reflux in the North Pacific is also recorded to contain the highest concentration of plastic. This is because Asian and American coastlines emit large amounts of plastic waste into the sea.
However, there are many unanswered questions. We do not know the full effect of microplastics that exceed the mass of plankton in the ocean. We don’t see how it will affect plankton-eating species and their predators in the long run.
Scientists have recorded some species of animal plankton that eat small plastic particles. Considering what an essential source of plankton for many other species is, it is clear that plastic is distributed throughout the marine ecosystem.
The truth is that we do not yet know the full extent of the negative impact plastic waste can have on marine and land environments. This is because it has not been in existence long enough for us to evaluate possible scenarios for the effect of plastic waste on natural circulation.
However, we know that introducing pollutants that may not decay in the environment can have significant implications that far outweigh our predictions.
How to help ban plastic bags in our community
Even when plastic bags are not needed, consumers use them too much, and the authorities have not found an effective way to dispose of them as waste.
Until recently, the effects of plastic bags have been greatly underestimated and overlooked. Logically, the key to starting change in the community is education.
That is, we must first educate ourselves about the problem. We need to know how plastic bags affect our environment and health. What is the root cause of the problem?
However, other perspectives on how disposable bags have affected a region’s economy and the economy of the product should also be considered. It is necessary to review alternatives and whether local distributors who frequently operate with limited monthly budgets have conversion capabilities.
By recognizing these issues, you will be ready to answer questions from your allies if you present some strong arguments to ban plastic bags in your region and persuade them of your good intentions.
The second step is to educate others.
It helps raise awareness of fellow consumers. This means everyone when you think about it. Communities well aware of the harmful effects of plastic bags have been more successful in enforcing the ban. Consumers voluntarily reduce their plastic bag usage, giving retailers enough time to find and replace appropriate alternatives.
When the wheel starts to spin, it leads to a much more positive change. Due to reduced demand for plastic bags, manufacturers should consider reducing production and expanding the supply of alternative products.
In addition, awareness campaigns create social pressure to encourage local governments and institutions to help with larger-scale changes, such as local bans or surcharges.
As an individual, we have enough power to make progressive changes in the community. Start with yourself and slowly expand into family and friends. Individual behavior can lead to group behavior.
How to stop using plastic bags
The first answer to this question that everyone thinks of is to stop using plastic bags. Decline the offer and bring a reusable bag when shopping.
These steps are elementary and depend on the user’s lead.
However, we are too familiar with the situation where cashiers automatically put your items in plastic bags before you object.
In many cases, rejecting a bag can seem too awkward, so if you only accept it once, but you don’t want it, you should know that it’s a good idea to reject it politely at this stage. The cashier understands what is generally instructed and that most customers have to do as they expect from them. We’re all trying to do our job well.
In countries that lack awareness of the harmful effects of plastic bags, polite rejection may not gain much understanding. Then you should explain why you don’t want to wrap the product in a plastic bag.
While most retailers understand your opinion, they may not be willing to sell some products, such as meat, without putting them in plastic bags because they must comply with hygiene standards.
In this case, you can follow several scenarios:
You can discuss with your store manager the possibility of bringing your container to contain these products.
Find other places to allow or use alternative packagings, such as small local stores that use paper packaging or compostable bags.
Or maybe this time, you should accept the plastic bag and then launch a campaign to ban plastic bags in your area.
References
Toppr, Viewed 14 August 2021,https://www.toppr.com/guides/essays/should-plastic-be-banned/
Greentumble, Viewed 14 August 2021, https://greentumble.com/10-reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned/
© 2021 Conserve Energy Future All Rights Reserved, Viewed 15 August 2021, https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned.php
