Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. Let us know if you liked this article. As it turns out, many microorganisms make moldable bioplastic polymers that are fully degradable. For most, straws are not a necessity, but a convenience. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? If we ban single-use plastic straws we will have to turn to the dangerous alternatives.In source (Everything You Need To Know). 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 us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and Californias bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. 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. We all are just trying to do our job well. 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. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. Please share this message with your friends so that together, we can tackle our global plastic problem. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. The inaccuracy of this number calls into doubt the veracity of the overall case against using plastic straws as a drinking implement. Thats bad news for our carbon reduction goals: if plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plantseven as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent. 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. Some countries have decided to do so after directly experiencing negative impacts of plastic bags, other countries have implemented the ban to reach their sustainability goals. If the environmental movement drew up a Most Unwanted list for 2018, the plastic drinking straw surely would land Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. 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. In early January 2020, China joined the growing movement of more than 120 countries pledging to ban single-use plastics.The country of 1.4 billion citizens is the No. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. Thanks for signing up. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. 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. . 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. 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. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. Lizzie Carr is shining a light on what is floating through the worlds waterways, and breaking athletic records along the way. 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. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world [1]. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. Also, giving a speech in . They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Greenwashing Alert: Chemical Recycling Isnt Actually Recycling. Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). As plastic bags tend to get caught in recycling machinery, most recycling facilities do not have the capacity to recycle plastic bags and therefore do not accept them. High costs for cleanup 8. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. Its possible that using a plastic straw would make it easier for you to drink without spilling, but the long-term expenses are not worth it. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. 4. An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. Even human footprints left in the sand represent mountain-like obstacles in their path and waves washing up on the beach are another challenge, as they thrust them back on the dry land to try once again before finally being picked up by a return current and start swimming for their life. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. Similar fate has met dolphins, seals, cats, dogs, deer and many other animals which got severely cut on their bodies due to plastic bag entanglement. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. Starting in the 1960s, plastic straw manufacturing took off. Plastic straws (like most plastic) are non-biodegradable, meaning that it cant be naturally broken down by decomposers. 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. Help raise awareness of fellow consumers that means everyone when you think about it (unless they dont shopever). It has been projected that, if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. 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. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. Buy in bulk. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. We can also decrease costs through improved bioprocessing methods, through metabolic engineering and by exploring and harnessing the incredible diversity of bioplastic-making systems that evolution has already created. But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. Look around and you will notice that plastic bags are the most common litter. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? But, are paper straws really better for the environment? 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 bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage. Search for jobs related to Reasons why smoking should be banned articles or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! How? But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. Ultimately, we can further decrease costs and achieve economies of scale through decentralized production systems and perhaps also at large biorefineries. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. Since plastic bag recycling requires a specialized equipment that can break down the plastic and mold it into a new product, most municipalities do not have the budget to include their recycling in their waste management program. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics), Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine Ecosystems, What Are Microplastics and Why Are They a Concern? 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. 2. 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. However, as an environmental enthusiast, heres what I think about this ban. 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. The explanation is quite simple. We are working hard to improve our content. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. We do not know the full impact of microplastics exceeding the mass of plankton in the ocean. Stanford experts discuss the limitations of these bans and the potential for meaningful change. 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. Straws are notorious for being readily blown away by the wind. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. Ms. LISA PAI . 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]. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. Post date: 18 yesterday. The first is to invest in better waste collection in the handful of countries that account for most of the plastic flowing into the ocean. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. A 2017 Environmental Sciences and Technology study reported that up to 95 percent of plastic waste enters oceans from one of 10 riverseight in Asia and two in Africa. Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Straws, Ives says, made the perfect target: too inconsequential to really be missed but so ubiquitous that their absence would be noticed. 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. 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. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. 2. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. By comparison, an estimated 46 percent of all pollution in the ocean is made up of lost or abandoned fishing gear (Vox). The crisis is so serious that many people are saying that plastic straws should be outlawed. Not easy to recycle 7. 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. 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. Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. Sadly, one of their newly acquired enemies is created by us who should protect them instead. This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. The cashier usually understands, only had to do what instructed and what most customers expect (unfortunately) from him or her. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. 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. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers. 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. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. No! Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. Individual actions can lead to collective actions. Required fields are marked *. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animals body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages. What about you? 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. At the beginning of July 2018, Seattle became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic straws. 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]. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. The people of Macon, Georgia, saw through it. We should just stick to plastic. This is due to the fact that the plastic tubes are far too lightweight to be recycled in an efficient manner. This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Plastic bags are everywhere. Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. 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. Do you wonder why? The single biggest reason why people want to ban plastic straws is because of their negative effects on the environment. These costs include the true environmental costs of resource extraction and depletion, the loss of quality of life, economic loss from littering, and wildlife loss. Ban of Plastic Can be Problematic. 1. 2. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. 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. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. 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. We should do likewise. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. 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. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. Car Modifications for Electric Vehicles: Whats Possible. (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. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. Harmful to human health 6. How exactly does the use of plastic do harm to the environment?Plastic has a very long half-life in the environment, during which it poses a danger to animals and spreads toxic chemicals.Additionally, plastic is a contributor to the warming of the planet.Nearly every type of plastic is manufactured using chemicals that are leftover from the manufacturing of fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming (gas, oil and even coal). Other states such as Hawaii, cities such as Seattle and New York, and corporations such as Amazon and Starbucks are also considering or have initiated plastic phase-out plans. Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. What Is Plastic Made Of And How Is It Manufactured? Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. Once the wheel starts spinning, it leads to even more positive changes. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. What do the bans accomplish? For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. 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.
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