In 2017 alone, 26.8 million tons of plastic pollution was dumped into landfills. Plastic retail bags – the kind you get from your grocer or at the corner store — are being targeted for bans and taxes in communities around the country, regardless of the unintended consequences. The reasons are simple: a floating plastic bag can look like a lot of jellyfish, algae, or other species that make up a large component of the sea turtles’ diets. There are quite a number of effects of plastic bags on environment. 6) Plastic production isn’t slowing down, but our landfills are filling up. Plastic bag facts. Worldwide, we buy 1 million plastic bottles every minute! 05. 10 Facts About Single-Use Plastic Bags. The plastic bag lobbyists have spent millions on consultants and petitions to try and strongarm plastic bags’ status in everyday life — even though plastic bags are totally unnecessary and cause far more harm than good. A million plastic … More plastic-straw bans have followed. Recycling plastic is inefficient. Plastic bags are lethal. Plastic kills at least 2 million birds, whales, dolphins, seals, seal lions and turtles every year. The tips below better explain why banning plastic bags for your business is a smart thing to do while you still can. Bioplastic is made from organic, renewable sources, such as vegetable oils, corn, and grains. Seriously, do we really need cucumbers wrapped in plastic? Canvas bags are a smart alternative to plastic. Unfortunately, recycling rates are low, but the good news is that they are climbing. The plastic isn’t the problem; litter is the problem. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Plastic Pollution. Let’s see if this regulation will go into effect. According to Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 doesn’t survive on a soft surface (like fabric). Emma Priestland, a plastics campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s good to see big companies like Waitrose looking for ways to reduce the plastic in their stores. Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. Where could that bottle on the beach end up? That means, marine creatures will be less likely to snack on the bags and find themselves washed up with a stomach full of plastic. Just 10 Rivers Carry 90 Percent of the Plastic Polluting the Ocean. In the article below, we have provided a 600-word why plastic bags should be banned essay in English for students to use for various purposes. Related article: Facts About Plastic Bags. Posted Sep 04, 2020 . Few things are recycled as often or as efficiently or as extensively as plastic bags. Here are 22 Preposterous Facts About Plastic Pollution: In the Los Angeles area alone, 10 metric tons of plastic fragments —like grocery bags, straws and soda bottles—are carried into the Pacific Ocean every day. Plastic bag bans don’t work. 6-10 Interesting Facts About Plastic. 3. We now know that there are no known cases of coronavirus being spread because of reusable bags… Combined with an advertising campaign to make the plastic bag unacceptable, use has fallen between 90-94%. Plastic bags are everywhere. 2) Sainsburys sold 585,418,822 fewer single-use plastic bags than Tesco in 2016. 1. A No. Photo: Getty Images. By 2050, the oceans will have more waste plastics than fish. Plastic bags are a “marvel of environmental efficiency”. Plastic bags are much more cost-effective to produce than the alternatives. Our prime concern is the safety and wellbeing of our customers. Plastic Bag Facts for Earth Day 2021. Bringing a few canvas bags with you to the store will greatly reduce the number of plastic bags in the environment. Single-use plastic baggies are one of easiest things to do without. In fact, 267 species of marine life are negatively impacted by plastic pollution, and it's believed that every square mile of ocean has about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. Nevertheless, plastic bags are used by all and sundry, right from a vegetable vendor to a designer store. If you’re ready to ditch plastic bags … It’s time to get rid of plastic bags for good | Opinion. Part of the problem with tote bags is that they are irresistible and insidious in equal measure. Some say banning plastic straws is an important step toward saving our planet. In some cases, plastic alternatives aren’t suitable. People in Denmark use an average of four plastic bags per year. Then Starbucks announced plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. Those are some general reasons to use reusable bags rather than paper or plastic bags, but let’s take a look at some of the more specific benefits of reusable bags, the negative impact of plastic bag pollution, and a few other reasons it’s a good idea to bring your own bag. (A limited number of communities collect plastic bags and wraps at curbside. 2. As more and more countries and states follow the lead of Italy, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda and San Francisco in banning plastic grocery bags … Banning single-use plastic bags is a hot topic these days, with plastic bags being banned in 68 countries worldwide. 6 good reasons for using plastic. Bio-plastics – a viable option in the plastics industry; Plastic bags versus paper bags 10 Interesting Facts About Plastic. Paper bags tend to have higher carbon emissions than plastic bags – and are more difficult to re-use. The more plastic bags we use the more harm they cause to humankind, animals, and the environment. Hopefully this helps you choose the correct size bag at the right price. Banning plastic bags is bad policy, good policy involves research into these issues, not just banning things that some people don’t like. Recycling Plastic Bags versus Recycling Paper Bags. Paper or plastic: A look at the facts and numbers As more and more countries and states follow the lead of Italy, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda and San Francisco in banning plastic grocery bags … 6. 2. 2) Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, but a single plastic bag has a life expectancy of up to 1,000 years. The ZipBag was successfully funded on Kickstarter and Indiegogo and has been featured in Good Housekeeping, ABC, HouseBeautiful, BuzzFeed, and Mashable. Look around and you will notice that plastic bags are the most common litter. They formed a plastic called Parkesine, named after its inventor Alexander Parkes. Once discarded, plastic bags will remain in the environment for 1,000 years before they decompose! Up to five trillion plastic bags are consumed around the world annually (“Single Use Plastics”). Plastic is a practical material. From April 1 2021, plastic carrier bags will be 10p rather than the current cost of 5p per bag. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. Plastic bags are not only harmful to the environment and wildlife, but also affect human health. American shoppers use about one plastic bags per day (365 per year), … While a paper bag takes an average of one month to decompose, it can take a plastic bag much longer. The supermarket chain Morrisons is raising the price of its reusable plastic bags from 10p to 15p as a trial … As of 2015, more than 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste had been generated. Plastic bags result in the pollution of groundwater. Animals often mistake them for food and upon consumption, the bags block air and/or digestive passages causing death. The plastic bags that end up in the ocean are contributing to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a mass of plastic that’s roughly 80,000 tonnes in weight, the equivalent of … If you tie a plastic bag around leaves on a tree you’ll get enough drinkable water to keep you out of dehydration – Source. For starters, plastic bags are one of the most common types of litter worldwide. Here are some interesting facts about plastic bags that you probably didn’t know: 160,000 plastic bags are used globally every second! Flash Sale + Giveaway. 4. More: Interesting Facts about Plastic Bags T-Shirt Bags and the truth behind them…sounds like some deep dark secrets lurk, but reality is that T-Shirt Bags mean no harm. It is not the fault of the plastic bag that some litterbugs throw them around. Exactly two years ago, I appeared before the Portsmouth City Council to present these same facts, and many more, which prove conclusively that eliminating plastic bags does more harm than good. Posted Sep 04, 2020 . But the facts show that a plastic bag takes up a lot less space. (Estimated cost to retailers: $4 billion) Only 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide. Plastic bags are the most environmentally friendly option at the checkout. Whales are also found dead with plastic in their stomach. We do share this world with other species, you know. Environmentalists and their champions in the media have ignored, skewed, and fabricated facts to create several pervasive myths. Co-op carrier bags are home compostable. Michael- First of all I want to clarify that the University is not considering a ban on plastic bags at this time. BBC recently published an article saying that China will ban all plastic bags by the year 2022. This includes bags for groceries, newspaper delivery, dry-cleaning, bread, produce, and so on, plus product overwraps, bubble wrap, and cereal box liners. Industry figures show 90% of all grocery bags are plastic. The good and the bad of plastic bag bans: Research review. For example, NPR reported that small garbage bag sales increased by 120 percent after a plastic bag ban went into effect in California. Studies show that alternatives which seem “greener” actually place a greater burden on the environment because they require more natural resources to produce and transport, they emit more carbon throughout their lifecycles and they need more energy to […] Below are some general facts about these bags, from measuring to case packing. Why ban plastic bags? Only 1 to 3% of all plastics used are recycled. Many of the studies about different bagging options that show plastic bags production demands less resources assume plastic bags are used at least twice—once coming home and once as a trash bag—and factor this into the calculations about which bags are more sustainable. Biodegradable plastic bags typically can’t be recycled with other plastic items. Worldwide, 5 trillion plastic bags are used per year which represents 160,000 a second. Room for Improvement Overall, the level of plastics recycling is still relatively low. Official sources have stated so. Clean and dry bags and wraps made with LDPE (and HDPE) are collected at more than 18,000 retailers nationwide. China plans to ban all single-use plastic bags by 2022. https://www.factorydirectpromos.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-a- – Using custom reusable grocery bags over plastic or paper bags can save on money, resources and have a positive impact on the environment as well. Why You Should Use Reusable Bags. 7 plastic – and you’ll contaminate the whole “recyclable” load. They choke or get tangled in the plastic and die. A plastic bag is used for an average of 12 minutes. 1. 1. Reduced Weight, Increased Fuel Economy Amy Kadrie says: June 25, 2013 at 1:37 pm. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million sea creatures every year. Just make sure they’re clean and dry. January 18, 2019. Paper bags hold more stuff, but plastic bags use less energy during production and recycling. And good thing is … According to the report, a cotton bag would need to be used 131 times to have a lower effect on the climate. In the ocean, there are 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile. Are plastics good or bad for us? Which is good news for everyone. Reduced Weight, Increased Fuel Economy – Source. Although this article is very informative, it leaves out some facts. In addition, many grocery stores now serve as recycling collection sites for plastic bags and plastic wrap. When we discuss top facts about recycling plastic bags, we have to remember that recycling is one of the three levels in waste prevention hierarchy: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Of the seven major retailers, Tesco, Asda, M&S, Waitrose, Morrisons, and Co-op still offer single-use bags that are less than 0.07mm thick (and are therefore deemed 'single-use'). When we look at the good, the bad and the ugly of plastic pollution in our oceans, we unfortunately, find much more bad and ugly than good news. Learn the facts about plastic versus paper bags – and bag the bans, instead. Indeed, studies have shown that only one-third of plastic food packaging used is recycled in the UK. Check out some of the good things about plastic that can help us take better care of our planet. 1. 14. Here’s why: 1 | Durable and safe. Plastic bags can take a millennium to degrade in nature, at which point it will have poised the soil and nearby water sources, but reusable bags don’t. Easily accessible in an emergency, safe, sterile equipment is imperative to safe medical practice. The first plastics were made of organic compound cellulose, nitric acid, and solvents. Plastic bags are widely reused. Alternatives to Plastic Bags. Plastic products that encounter food are recyclable, but paper products, which absorb food and waste, are not. 8. You might see this plastic labeled as photodegradable or oxydegradable. Check out the reasons below on why you should stop using plastic bags. Growing concern over the waste of plastic and paper bags has many people puzzled over what is the right thing to choose. And if plastic bags were reused repeatedly, they looked even better. Even still, plastic bags remain the primary method of dog poop removal for lots of dog owners. by Robert Frerck. In this article, you’ll learn the different facts about plastic and paper bags, the benefits of reusables and some tips to make the most out of your reusable bags. Other plastic bags get carried to the oceans by wind or because people have littered on the beach. Check out some of the good things about plastic that can help us take better care of our planet. Recycling plastic bags reduces the amount of energy usage, raw materials, pollution, as well as the waste Americans produce. Eight states have already banned single-use plastic bags in retail stores, but the amount of plastic expected to be produced in 2050 is still 3.5 times the amount that was produced in 2015. After its 12 minutes of use, it’s generally discarded. 1. 10 Good reasons why are plastic bags bad for us and for the environment #1 Plastic bags pollute our land and water. Most of the rest of the 13 billion bags used each year end up in landfills." Banning all plastic … 4. A PET reusable plastic bag is the plastic square kind you can buy at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. If it’s not made from plastic, it’s wrapped in plastic. When plastic bags given away for free in stores are banned, there's an increase in the types of plastic bags people can purchase to fulfill the same jobs as the free ones. The benefits of plastic to certain industries – such as healthcare – are plain to see. Pingback: The Pros and Cons of Banning Plastic Bags – Don't be an Old Bag on the North Shore Cassandra La Fey November 10, 2017 at 6:59 pm. Saves Energy. 2 can be recycled together, but throw in a biodegradable bag – a No. Another key feature of plastic bags is the fact that they take up less space in landfills than a paper bag. EPA recently reported (PDF, download) that in 2010 recycling was up from 12% to 15% for polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps. Plastic bags kill wildlife, clog waterways and pack landfills. Cutting down on plastic bags being sold in store means that fewer bags will be winding their way into our seas. So there you have it, plastic bags are good for the environment! On July 1, they were banned in Seattle, Washington. Plastic bags harm animals on land, air, and sea. A polypropylene bag is the semi-fabric boxlike kind often given out at expos or festivals.Cotton bags are the nice cotton totes you might buy for their cute design or charm. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy than burning it in an incinerator. The question about how good or bad plastic bags are for the environment isn’t as clear asenvironmentalists will have you believe. Twelve minutes. It went into effect December 14, 2018. However, when used correctly and thoughtfully, plastic and the environment can live in happy harmony. A plastic bag takes up to 500 years to degrade in a landfill. Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century. Marine life confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, can become entangled in plastic bags, and eat tiny microscopic plastic particles. The Earth Day Network states that only about 1% of the 4 trillion plastic bags used worldwide annually are recycled, and residents of the United States throw away up to 100 billion plastic bags every year. Here we have pondered over the benefits of plastic bags for both retailers and customers: Good for Branding: If you run a store or supermarket, it is pretty easy for you to print your business’s name, logo and other information on the plastic bags. Here are the facts. Once tainted with food or drink, a paper product must be routed to landfill. Government bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags have spread in recent years amid fears about plastic’s negative impact on the environment. By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic. Ireland has introduced an interesting law, which has placed a 15 cent tax on the plastic bag. But alternatives are not necessarily better. Also, a brief but informative 200-word essay on why plastic bags should be banned is provided. Paper bags can more easily be recycled or even composted, bu t the British … Plastic can increase the risk of prostate cancer in men. Around the world, 4 trillion plastic bags are used every year. Even though most grocery stores offer plastic bag recycling, only 1% of these bags are recycled. 5 trillion plastic bags are produced yearly. Is it bad for our health? The manufacturing process of plastic bags is a long and complicated one. The good news? Plastic pollution disrupts the natural food chain. Reduction of the amount of plastic bags is one of the most visible and widespread projects on a global level. The change in packaging materials has … L ike the recycling movement, the plastic panic has been sustained by popular misconceptions. 15. A lot of water is used in the manufacture of plastic bags. Side by side, they can encircle the world 7 times. Canvas can be washed and reused, and lasts up to 10 years on average. However, when used correctly and thoughtfully, plastic and the environment can live in happy harmony. Long and Short Essays on Plastic Bags Should be banned for Students and Kids in English. 12. Plastic is harmful to the environment. Too much of a good thing? 5. We’ve compiled 25 facts about plastic bags and paper bags that we think are good reasons for you to pick up a reusable bag and make the next bag you throw out your last. So, while it's good to have the alternative (and to recognize the innovation it represents), bioplastics aren't quite ready to save us from the paper or plastic debate. We found the following facts on LoveYourEarth.org. The bags sit in landfills and do not degrade, thus avoiding the release of greenhouse gases. The US uses about 100 billion plastic bags per year according to the EPA, and less that 2% are recycled. Like PET bottles, plastic bags are 100% recyclable. There are plenty of good statistics supporting plastic bag laws, so debunked statistics like these should never be quoted. Fourteen billion of those plastic bags come from the U.S. (“Bags by the Numbers”). Many cities in Canada are joining the fight on single-use plastics, due to their detrimental effects on the environment. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a … 13. It's true that plastic waste is a major problem plaguing landfills and oceans the world over. Here are some lesser-known facts about plastic you really need to know: Since the 1950s, around 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide. Jute Bags Vs Plastic Bags: Comparison and Facts: Jute is a natural fiber, which is cheap and easily available in the market. Interesting Facts About Paper Bags. You can recycle grocery bags, bread bags, food storage bags (even the sealable ones), shipping pillows, bubble wrap, dry-cleaning bags, overwraps for beverage cases, and more. Plastic has only been mass-produced since the 1940s, but it’s having a devastating impact on sea turtles. 1. While most plastic bottles are recyclable, only about 23% end up being recycled. Paper bags takes an average of one month to decompose. Biodegradable plastic, which is also made from petrochemicals, is manufactured differently so that it can begin to break down quickly in the presence of air and sunshine. Most bags are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) which can be recycled with specialist machines. Or they eat plastic, leading to internal infections, starvation and death. Therefore, it consumes a significant amount of energy. 5. At Curver we make the most of its versatility to create a wide range of household products designed to make your daily life easier. Yet it takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade. "We do know that once you have a reusable bag and you’re using it over and over, the environmental savings … Within a few weeks, there was a visual improvement in the number of plastic bags … 7. The US alone throws away enough plastic bottles in a week to encircle the world 5 times. They’re 100% recyclable and highly reused. Effects of plastic bags on environment. Top 5 Facts about PlasticSubscribe: http://goo.gl/Q2kKrDWe all use plastic, but how much do you actually know about it? Here's where the data gets very interesting. Well, most of them don’t. Recent facts. Plastic bags are also relatively sturdy and reusable. An estimated 13 billion plastic bottles are disposed of each year. But compostable, bio-based bags … Sometimes plastic is a good, cheap or sturdy necessity. 3. Like dozen towns and cities in Massachusetts and other states, Boston recently enacted a ban on plastic shopping bags. Plastic bags are 100% recyclable. It all has to do with those little numbers you see on plastic bottles. Most modern plastic bags are biodegradable. A plastic cup can take 50 - 80 years to decompose. The word ‘plastic’ comes from the Greek plastikos, meaning ‘capable of being shaped and molded. Plastic bags are made from non-renewable resources and contribute to climate change. PHOTOGRAPH BY PRAVEEN BALASUBRAMANIAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT. Sadly, most of the plastic we use ends up in the ocean affecting seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions. Here, I would try to highlight the significance of a jute bags over plastic ones by tallying its various qualities. Many of the studies about different bagging options that show plastic bags production demands less resources assume plastic bags are used at least twice—once coming home and once as a trash bag—and factor this into the calculations about which bags are more sustainable. Disposable coffee cups: what impact do they have? 1 and a No. There’s not much else to say about this point. The Good and Bad Points of Plastic: Why Some Plastic Packaging Is Just Fine As an environmental packaging provider, it might seem strange for us to enter into the “is plastic good or bad” debate. The Environment Agency in the U.K. released a report in 2011 that shows the carbon impact of paper, reusable plastic, and cotton bags is higher than single-use plastic bags when considering the production, use, and disposal of each. In some parts of the world, using plastic is already illegal. Most plastic bags are just used once, maybe twice if you line your trash cans with them. People are taking a stand against plastic straws.

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