Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Banning straws may confer 'moral license' allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. As plastic bags are not disposed properly . Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. 1. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in the mid-19th century, it wasnt until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. 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. 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. We add another 8 million tons each year thats about five grocery bags full of plastic waste on every foot of shoreline around the world, according to a recent study. 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. 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.) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. 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. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. Straws make up roughly 4 percent of the plastic waste in terms of the number of pieces, but a far smaller percentage in terms of the weight.Due to the fact that the typical weight of a straw is just around one sixty-seventh of an ounce, or 42 grams, the total weight of all those billions of straws combined only accounts for roughly 2,000 tons of the almost 9 million tons of plastic debris that enters the sea each year. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? What about you? Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. 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. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. 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. 2. (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. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? and reefs composed of coral, F) I Plastic straws are one of the top five most often used items. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. 23 Reasons Why we should ban Plastic Bags | Environment Buddy Cause of environmental pollution 2. The answer isnt as simple as you may think: While its true that paper straws arent as harmful as plastic straws, this doesnt mean that, Read More Paper vs. The inaccuracy of this number calls into doubt the veracity of the overall case against using plastic straws as a drinking implement. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | Greentumble "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . All Rights Reserved. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. A laboratory photograph of microplastics found in the Corsica River in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Maryland, An albatross found dead with a belly full of plastic on Midway Atoll. Low rated: 2. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? 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. Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. Why Plastic Bags And Straws Should Not Be Banned 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-. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' 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. We should do likewise. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. Which brings us to the second part. According to a 2017 study, more than half of non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. 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. So, retailers incorporate this cost hiddenly into prices of other items sold at stores. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. (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. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. 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. Starting in the 1960s, plastic straw manufacturing took off. Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone. 2. By comparison, an estimated 46 percent of all pollution in the ocean is made up of lost or abandoned fishing gear (Vox). On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. Communities and consumers can play vital roles in sparking action. They contribute to the contamination of our landfills and seas when they are discarded after use. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters 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. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). Since their birth, baby turtles have only one goal to get to the sea and swim into deep waters where they will feed and if successful grow into adult turtles. Thats nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. In the United States alone, statistics reach up to 12 million barrels of oil that are used each year to produce even more plastic bags 100 billion more, to give you the precise number [5]. Why Plastic Straws Are Being Banned - Square We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. 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. Do plastic straws really make a difference? - Stanford Earth Why? This could negatively reflect on their income. American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. Beyond the costs associated with the production and purchasing of plastic bags by retailers, there are many external costs that are often not considered. According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. Don't Ban Straws - Reason.com You can be sure of one thing, though. In 2015 researchers from the University of Georgia estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic per year make their way into the oceans via people living within 30 miles of a coast. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. They're not alone. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. No! 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. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. Read more about us. Car Modifications for Electric Vehicles: Whats Possible. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. The bottom line of any plastic ban is that we must use less single-use plastics overall. As a result, the ban will reduce the number of plastic straws polluting the ocean. (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. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. In many instances, it may seem too awkward for you to refuse the bag, so you accept it this one time, but you should know that it is fine to say no politely even at this stage if you dont want that 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. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In fact, plastic straws only make up around 0.03 percent of total plastic waste by mass. Why Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? - Nationwide Plastics Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. You could either discuss with a store manager a possibility of bringing your own containers for these products. In my opinion, plastic straws should not be banned outright, because many disabled people require plastic straws to drink. Once in the ocean, plastic pollution is extremely dangerous to marine life, and plastic straws are no exception. Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. Theyve even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. It means that most bags can be recycled. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. 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. Plastic straws are everywhere we look. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. The decrease in demand for plastic bags forces manufacturers to reduce their production and consider expanding in a supply of alternative products. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. Harmful to human health 6. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and 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. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. 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. That's a whole 900 tons of plastic waste produced every day, and that's just for plastic straws! Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. 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]. Is the Tide Turning on Our Plastic Addiction? If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Why is plastic bad for the environment? There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - tmtnevins.com Author: floridadep.gov. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. 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. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. JIM LEAPE: Our oceans are currently swimming with plastics. 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. In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. 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. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. 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. If you are constantly feeling gassy, then you should definitely consider drinking beverages the old fashioned way. Individual actions can lead to collective actions. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. 12 Compelling Reasons For Banning Plastic Bags [2023 Update] - MindsetEco 1. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. Some opposers of the plastic straw ban say that a ban is unlikely to actually help the environment, as plastic straws do not make up a large percentage of plastic in the ocean. Post date: 18 yesterday. Should Plastic be Banned Essay for Students in English - VEDANTU In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Plastic bags. 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. update email soon. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. Your email address will not be published. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Even if you can't go zero waste entirely, it's high time we all ended our reliance on single use plastics. Many of you may have heard it already. We all are just trying to do our job well. Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuelbased chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after useoften, in mere minutes. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. 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. Gas, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. 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. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. 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. These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative. They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. Plastic straws are not the first iteration of straws. They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it. 10 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. 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. PDF Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection 5 Metals in your Home that can be Recycled for Cash, How exactly bidets offer a healthier, green option for your bathroom, A Closer Look at General Motors (GM) Sustainability Initiatives. Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. Items made of plastic that come into contact with food can be recycled, whereas products made of paper that absorb both food and garbage cannot. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. An Oregon community is making spectacular statues out of ocean plastic to raise awareness about a crisis at sea. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. What do the bans accomplish? female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . 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]. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. CRIDDLE:We need to think about what incentives will promote a culture of recycling and innovation with respect to waste streams. 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. Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. Our goal is to inspire people to change their attitudes and behaviors toward a more sustainable life. This means that the average consumption of plastic bags per person dropped from 328 bags per year to just 21 [20]. Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. 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. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as time and place elements, style, and grammar); you cant resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you cant republish our material wholesale or automaticallyyou need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when youve used one of our stories. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesnt come without consequences. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. Buying a product through my link comes at no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products that I believe in. This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Why Are Plastic Straws Bad for the Environment & Should Be Banned Thus, plastic straws cant be recycled. 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. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned. NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass says yes and debunks the skeptics claim that in trying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, were only creating more troubles. While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but free.. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. 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. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? However, I do believe that we should limit our use of plastic straws by asking businesses to only give out straws on request. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. 2. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. She can remember all of her vehicles the Pontiac 6000, her familys car that was passed on to her when she went to college; the Volkswagen Rabbit, and later Fox, that took her through young adulthood; the Honda Civics,, Read More Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics)Continue, Whether youre a scuba diver, snorkeler, or amateur swimmer, the ocean is a playground where you come to explore the beauty of nature and the difference from your regular lifes environment.