Es gratis registrarse y presentar tus propuestas laborales. Beyond the costs associated with the production and purchasing of plastic bags by retailers, there are many external costs that are often not considered. Logically, the key to starting a change in your community is education. The single biggest reason why people want to ban plastic straws is because of their negative effects on the environment. 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. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We use them to drink beverages at home and we get them at almost every restaurant. 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. Most of it is either dumped in landfills or ends up in the ocean. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. But should plastic straws really be banned? They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. The resulting number is staggering. 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. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - maktabyar.org If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. 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. JIM LEAPE: Our oceans are currently swimming with plastics. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. 12 Compelling Reasons For Banning Plastic Bags [2023 Update] - MindsetEco 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. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. Banning Straws and Bags Won't Solve our Plastic Problem Reasons why smoking should be banned articles jobs Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. For those governments that are opposed to full bans on plastic bags, another option is to institute a plastic bag tax, where consumers or retailers would pay a small fee for each plastic bag. 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. Sadly, one of their newly acquired enemies is created by us who should protect them instead. Plastic straws shouldn't be banned - The Rubicon Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. 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. Plastic bags are everywhere. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. In my opinion, plastic straws should not be banned outright, because many disabled people require plastic straws to drink. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. The truth is that we do not know yet the full scale of negative impacts plastic waste can have on marine and terrestrial environments because it hasnt been around long enough to allow us to assess possible scenarios of its influence on natural cycles. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. Petroleum-based plastic bags are composed of very resistant synthetic polymers that may take up to 1,000 years or never until they completely degrade in natural environments [6]. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. The bottom line of any plastic ban is that we must use less single-use plastics overall. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. 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. In this article, Ill go over both the pros and cons of a plastic straw ban. We will For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. Low rated: 2. Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area . Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. Heres everything you need to know before plastic carryout bags disappear from the Empire State on March 1. 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]. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. Post date: 18 yesterday. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. Do plastic straws really make a difference? - Stanford Earth 10 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. These dyes on their own can leach toxins, but they can also be contaminated with traces of heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, both of which affect kidney health and proper functioning of other organs. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. Thats a promising start. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. 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. Which brings us to the second part. While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but free.. 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. The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Even if you can't go zero waste entirely, it's high time we all ended our reliance on single use plastics. Why is plastic bad for the environment? Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection 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. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone. That is why the United Nations Environmental Programme Secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags globally. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. 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. You can be sure of one thing, though. Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters 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. Paper vs. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. A Ban Could Harm Local Businesses If 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. Because they are so lightweight, plastic bags get easily picked up by wind and travel long distances by wind and water to pollute the nature. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. They're not alone. Rating: 5 (913 reviews) Highest rating: 5. Each year on two far-flung Australian islands, more than half a million hermit crabs die after becoming trapped inside our plastic waste. Problematic degradation 4. Ultimately, we can further decrease costs and achieve economies of scale through decentralized production systems and perhaps also at large biorefineries. Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, microplastics are so small that they move straight through water filtration, Read More What Are Microplastics and Why Are They a Concern? There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. 13.07.2022 Harry Brown THE TOP 10 REASONS TO DO NOT USE THE STRAW 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 instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demandand the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.). and reefs composed of coral, F) I Plastic straws are one of the top five most often used items. Better alternatives are available 10. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7]. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. These are known to be hormone-disrupting chemicals. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. Many of you may have heard it already. Plastic is more sanitary and safer to use than other alternatives. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. 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. 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. It is estimated that there are now 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. 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. Because of this, the plants and wildlife in the area have a potential risk of absorbing the microplastics through their diets and drinking water. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. 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. 2. The following are ten lines on why plastic bags need to be prohibited: 1) The careless disposal of trash in plastic bags leads to an increase in litter.2) The use of plastic bags contributes to the depletion of our natural resources, including water, trees, and agricultural products.3) Because of the danger it causes to marine life, the total 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. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. 2023 Get Green Now. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. Don't Ban Straws - Reason.com that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. If this happens, there are a few scenarios you can follow: The best thing you can do with those old plastic bags that have been stashed in that overflowing drawer in your kitchen is to recycle them. It is possible to enhance ones risk of developing cavities by using a straw while consuming liquids that are either sweet or acidic. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. Well, lets have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now. 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. To date, around 60 countries and municipalities around the world have instituted plastic bag bans, and additional seven countries are planning to enforce the law in the closest future. 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. Some tributaries of the river have been filled with plastic waste to the level that you could almost walk across them without getting your feet wet. Made from fossil fuels 3. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. It is predicted that each year 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, with 1.152.41 tons of that plastic being carried there by major rivers all over the world. FNB News - Choose the right straw | FNB News National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. 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. Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). Leape has long been a leader in ocean conservation efforts. edinburgh airport address. Theyre in about a quarter of the seafood in our markets, and even in table salt. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. 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. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. 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]. BY Rob Jordan, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, As Colorado River wanes, water supplies and ecosystems hang in the balance, Riverfront forest restoration can deliver outsized benefits, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, An AI solution to climate models gravity wave problem, Beavers will become a bigger boon to river water quality as U.S. West warms. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. 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. If you are constantly feeling gassy, then you should definitely consider drinking beverages the old fashioned way. 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 . Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just ten rivers carry 93 percent of the worlds total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year. Is the Tide Turning on Our Plastic Addiction? Plastic waste, mostly broken down into tiny particles, floats in huge blobs amid ocean current patterns called gyres that together cover as much as 40 percent of Earth's ocean surface. Buy in bulk. ), then its clean! A brief history of how plastic straws took over the world - Environment Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. 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 use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. update email soon. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. At the beginning of July 2018, Seattle became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic straws. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. Thoughtful laws are needed to control the problem and at the same time encourage innovation. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. Also, giving a speech in . To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. 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. No! Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. Shuddering and unable to breathe, he vomited up five plastic bags. If there is one piece of advice that everyone should remember, it would be that nothing is for free in this world. 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. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags. 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.