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Post date: 18 yesterday. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. This could negatively reflect on their income. Additionally, awareness raising campaigns create a social pressure that should inspire local government and institutions to help in making changes at a bigger scale, like a regional ban or levy. 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. Author: floridadep.gov. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. Thoughtful laws are needed to control the problem and at the same time encourage innovation. Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. 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. 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. Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems facing our world today. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. 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. Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. 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. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. More and more states are looking to pass a new kind of recycling law that asks manufacturers to foot the bill for the waste created by their products. (Its also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world. There are numerous reasons why PLA straws are not the right substitute for plastic straws . A study analyzes water transactions that leave water in the river, and shows how they could be scaled up to avert cuts for major water users while supporting imperiled ecosystems. To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Let us know if you liked this article. Sugar and oils are too expensive. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. 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]. A Ban Could Harm Local Businesses If Theyve even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. What is the root of the problem (consumers or municipal waste management)? This type of plastic is derived from petroleum. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. ), then its clean! edinburgh airport address. Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. 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? Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. 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. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. . Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. High costs for cleanup 8. Oil and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources and through their extraction and production, they emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change. 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. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earths resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste. Spare Yourself the Guilt Trip This Earth DayIts Companies That Need to Clean Up Their Acts, These Fanciful Sea Creatures Were Carried in on the Tide. On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. 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. 1. 4. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. What to do with plastic bags you already have at home? 2023 Get Green Now. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? Most of it is either dumped in landfills or ends up in the ocean. and reefs composed of coral, F) I Plastic straws are one of the top five most often used items. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. 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. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. 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. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and 2. Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. 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. This is due to the fact that the plastic tubes are far too lightweight to be recycled in an efficient manner. 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. Heres everything you need to know before plastic carryout bags disappear from the Empire State on March 1. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. If you are constantly feeling gassy, then you should definitely consider drinking beverages the old fashioned way. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. 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). Will others? Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Plastic straws (like most plastic) are non-biodegradable, meaning that it cant be naturally broken down by decomposers. We will If the answer is yes, you should know that this inadvertent overconsumption of single-use plastic carries with it a very high cost to the environment, which in turn also negatively affects our health. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Paper vs. Many of you may have heard it already. 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. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. Rating: 5 (913 reviews) Highest rating: 5. New and sustainable business models are needed to address the current plastic deluge and also to enable a new generation of sustainable materials and technologies. Plastic pollutionwhether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisisimpacts vulnerable communities first. 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. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. A 2018 study of coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific has confirmed that plastic waste deposited on coral reefs promotes outbreaks of diseases that gradually destroy whole reef colonies [12]. Although, really, these tips can be used by anyone, not just kids. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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 problem with plastic straws is that they are one of the biggest causes of unnecessary plastic pollution. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. 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. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. 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. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. A laboratory photograph of microplastics found in the Corsica River in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Maryland, An albatross found dead with a belly full of plastic on Midway Atoll. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. Look around and you will notice that plastic bags are the most common litter. Another indirect danger of plastic bags has breeding ground in the pollution they create. 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. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye. 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. NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass says yes and debunks the skeptics claim that in trying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, were only creating more troubles. Thats a promising start. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. Policies like bottle bill lawswhich generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycleare a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle. Harmful to human health 6. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. 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-. State Disclosures. Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. update email soon. We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. You should examine what alternatives are available and whether local retailers, who often operate with a limited monthly budget, have the ability to make the switch. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. 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. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Come with external costs 9. In fact, plastic bags are considered by many recycling facilities the number one contaminant and their removal from the recycling stream costs municipalities close to $1 million a year [18]. This form of ban could lead to a reduction in landfill across the country, going a long way to protect the nature and serenity of the area. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Nows the Time. Not easy to recycle 7. Microplastics were found in soft drinks like Coca Cola, in tap water, in seafood It has contaminated our food chain, so it should not surprise us that it can be tracked in our body.