When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. As a result, the ban will reduce the number of plastic straws polluting the ocean. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Problematic degradation 4. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. Sugar and oils are too expensive. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? (Source: Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment), Stanford scientists are among a growing number of researchers harnessing artificial intelligence techniques to bring more realistic representations of ubiquitous atmospheric ripples into global climate models. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. (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. Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. 12 Reasons for Banning Plastic Bags: Plastic Bags Are Made With Non-Renewable Energy Plastic Bags Use Up Lots Of Energy Plastic Bags End Up In The Ocean Beach Plastic Litter Is On The Rise Plastic Bags Kill Millions Of Animals Every Year Plastic Takes A Long Time To Disintegrate Plastic Is Harming The Ocean's Coral Plastic Bags Contain Toxins 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. Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. 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-. 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. Made from fossil fuels 3. Once in the ocean, plastic pollution is extremely dangerous to marine life, and plastic straws are no exception. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. Policies like bottle bill lawswhich generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycleare a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle. It means that most bags can be recycled. Thats nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. 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. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. Facebook; Contact Now . Forty years after the launch of the first universal recycling symbol, only 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. Additionally, someone has to pay the cost of dealing with plastic bags in the waste stream. Also, giving a speech in . Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. According to market research firms, Americans use about 350 million plastic straws every single day. update email soon. 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. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. Harmful to human health 6. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. 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. But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. Ms. LISA PAI . Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. How? Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. What is the root of the problem (consumers or municipal waste management)? 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. Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. Why is plastic bad for the environment? The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. 1. 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 . They're not alone. The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. 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. 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. Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. Why? 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. For most, straws are not a necessity, but a convenience. 82 percent of the responding food service establishments were aware of the prohibition, and 69 percent of those establishments viewed the ban favorably. A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? Banning straws may confer 'moral license' allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. 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. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. 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. Martin Grimm/Picture-alliance via Associated Press. Heres everything you need to know before plastic carryout bags disappear from the Empire State on March 1. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. 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. Will others? But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. The country instituted the ban in 2013 to minimize livestock deaths. female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. Animals living in the ocean might frequently confuse the plastic for food. 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. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animals body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages. The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. All rights reserved. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. CRIDDLE:We need to think about what incentives will promote a culture of recycling and innovation with respect to waste streams. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. The trend has already started. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). You are free to have your own personal opinion on whether or not we should ban plastic straws. Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it. Heres everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. 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). Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. 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. One recent survey found plastics in 94 percent of tap water samples in the U.S. and in nearly every brand of bottled water. A 2018 study of coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific has confirmed that plastic waste deposited on coral reefs promotes outbreaks of diseases that gradually destroy whole reef colonies [12]. On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. 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. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. 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. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. 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. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. A plastic straw ban could be a good step in the right direction, but we must use less single-use products overall to actually help the environment. Your email address will not be published. Please share this message with your friends so that together, we can tackle our global plastic problem. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. What do the bans accomplish? High costs for cleanup 8. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. We all are just trying to do our job well. The process of drilling for plastics source materials, oil and gas, leads to methane leaking and flaring and is often combined with clearing forests and wetlands that otherwise would have sequestered carbon. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. Criddle and Leape are also senior fellows at theStanford Woods Institute for the Environment. 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. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. Plastic pollutionwhether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisisimpacts vulnerable communities first. Even if you can't go zero waste entirely, it's high time we all ended our reliance on single use plastics. 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. These are known to be hormone-disrupting chemicals. But should plastic straws really be banned? The cashier usually understands, only had to do what instructed and what most customers expect (unfortunately) from him or her. The resulting number is staggering. Exposure to microplastics, as well as the chemicals that are added to plastics during processing, harm our health. 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. . And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. The most heartbreaking part of this is that the affected animals are not aware they eat something that will make them feel miserable and will slowly kill them. Plastic bags. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. Plastic bags are everywhere. 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. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' Advocates hope a straw ban will be the first step toward broader plastic prohibitions. In fact, plastic straws only make up around 0.03 percent of total plastic waste by mass. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. That is why the United Nations Environmental Programme Secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags globally. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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