Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. Nows the Time. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. We will Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. 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. Therefore, a plastic straw ban by itself is unlikely to be very effective in actually helping the environment, although it could act as a gateway into the reduction of other single-use plastics. Ban of Plastic Can be Problematic. 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. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. 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. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. Its Plastic Incineration. Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area . Well, lets have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now. Your email address will not be published. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Criddle isdirector of StanfordsCodiga Resource Recovery Center,a member ofStanford Bio-Xand an affiliate of thePrecourt Institute for Energy. Beyond the costs associated with the production and purchasing of plastic bags by retailers, there are many external costs that are often not considered. This way, disabled people can continue to be served, while also reducing the number of plastic straws that we use. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. 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. Plastic bag bansideally accompanied by a fee on paper bagsare also catching on. 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. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. The country instituted the ban in 2013 to minimize livestock deaths. We all are just trying to do our job well. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. 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. But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. 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. Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your citys newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. 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]. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable. Rating: 5 (913 reviews) Highest rating: 5. This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. 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. The phthalate DEHP, as just one example from dozens, is often added to plastic goods like shower curtains and garden hoses to make them more flexiblebut was also found to be a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Another example of a locally issued ban is Seattle where not only single-use plastic bags have been banned but also single-use compostable and biodegradable bags. Learn how your comment data is processed. Do you wonder why? 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. You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. For most, straws are not a necessity, but a convenience. How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. 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. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. Not easy to recycle 7. Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. 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. What can I do for you? 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. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. China 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned Manufacturers, Supply 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with High Quality, Wholesale 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with Low Price, High Quality. that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! 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. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. Problematic degradation 4. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. 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]. It has been projected that, if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Another indirect danger of plastic bags has breeding ground in the pollution they create. 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. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. update email soon. 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. It is estimated that there are now 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Straws are notorious for being readily blown away by the wind. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Come with external costs 9. 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. Better alternatives are available 10. 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. This could negatively reflect on their income. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. 1. LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. 2. 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. Plastic straws (like most plastic) are non-biodegradable, meaning that it cant be naturally broken down by decomposers. 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. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. 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. Harmful to human health 6. 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]. 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. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. 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. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. 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. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good. The resulting number is staggering. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems facing our world today. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. (Everything You Need To Know). Logically, the key to starting a change in your community is education. Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. What Is Plastic Made Of And How Is It Manufactured? Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. Plastic straws are one of the most common forms of pollution found on beaches and in oceans all over the world. However, in 2014, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supported the first project to calculate the real cost of plastic, including adverse environmental impacts of its production, use and disposal. 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.