Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. High costs for cleanup 8. 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. Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. Leape has long been a leader in ocean conservation efforts. 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.) To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. We should do likewise. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. 4. You could either discuss with a store manager a possibility of bringing your own containers for these products. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. By 2030, CEO James Quincey has pledged to use 50 percent recycled material in its bottles and cans and recycle one bottle or can. All Rights Reserved. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). As plastic bags are not disposed properly . However, I do believe that we should limit our use of plastic straws by asking businesses to only give out straws on request. So, retailers incorporate this cost hiddenly into prices of other items sold at stores. It means that most bags can be recycled. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. But, are paper straws really better for the environment? Overall, the main reason for a plastic straw ban is to help the environment by preventing plastic straws pollution. Problematic degradation 4. Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. Logically, the key to starting a change in your community is education. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. So, for example, companies need to not only make products that are recyclable, but actually make them out of recycled or truly biodegradable material. 1. Criddle and Leape are also senior fellows at theStanford Woods Institute for the Environment. The upshot of the Sydney study is that the California bag ban reduced plastic bag consumption by 71.5% - a huge decrease. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Some companies are taking initiative on their own. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earths resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. Participate in beach or river cleanups. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. What about you? 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. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. 2. 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. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. 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. Its Plastic Incineration. Because of this, the plants and wildlife in the area have a potential risk of absorbing the microplastics through their diets and drinking water. There is a lot of research now underway on the health effects of ocean plastics, but we already know that some plastics, and the chemicals that attach themselves to plastics in the water, can cause cancer, genetic disruptions and other ill effects. (Everything You Need To Know). Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. (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. Animals living in the ocean might frequently confuse the plastic for food. McDonald's recently announced . Your email address will not be published. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? 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. How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. 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. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. Not easy to recycle 7. (Its also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. Using these non-renewable resources to make plastic bags is very short-sighted, considering that the typical useful life of each plastic bag is about 12 minutes and that the worlds oil reserves contain enough oil to cover our needs through 2050, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. 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. Made from fossil fuels 3. 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. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. They contribute to the contamination of our landfills and seas when they are discarded after use. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. What Is Plastic Made Of And How Is It Manufactured? Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). We should also try to give up plastic straws if we are capable of doing so. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! 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. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? 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]. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isnt recycled at all. Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. 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. LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion. We should just stick to plastic. 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. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. Read more about us. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Your email address will not be published. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. 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. 2. Ultimately, we can further decrease costs and achieve economies of scale through decentralized production systems and perhaps also at large biorefineries. Additionally, someone has to pay the cost of dealing with plastic bags in the waste stream. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step, offering a natural place to start with low-hanging fruit so long as its part of a much more fundamental shift away from single-use plastics across the value chains of these companies and our economy. On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. Required fields are marked *. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. The decrease in demand for plastic bags forces manufacturers to reduce their production and consider expanding in a supply of alternative products. 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. If there is one piece of advice that everyone should remember, it would be that nothing is for free in this world. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Facebook; Contact Now . 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. 1. This way, disabled people can continue to be served, while also reducing the number of plastic straws that we use. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. You can be sure of one thing, though. 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. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. Sadly, one of their newly acquired enemies is created by us who should protect them instead. 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.). The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. Most plastic straws are made from harsh chemicals making them impossible to reuse or recycle. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. 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. Also, giving a speech in . Thanks for signing up. 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. Individual actions can lead to collective actions. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Will others? 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. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. 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? Better alternatives are available 10. 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-. Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. 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. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Buy in bulk. 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. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. 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. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. 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. 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. It is good for our environment, health and global climate. We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. No! But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname Garbage Island, companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. CRIDDLE:We need to think about what incentives will promote a culture of recycling and innovation with respect to waste streams. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . 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. They're not alone. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. 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. Ban of Plastic Can be Problematic. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. 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. Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7]. 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. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. 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. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy This is because the customers voluntarily reduce their consumption of plastic bags, which in turn provides enough time for retailers to find suitable alternatives and switch to them. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. 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. 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 Lizzie Carr is shining a light on what is floating through the worlds waterways, and breaking athletic records along the way. What do the bans accomplish? But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. 15. 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. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. 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. Which brings us to the second part. Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). Buying a product through my link comes at no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products that I believe in.
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