They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. They contribute to the contamination of our landfills and seas when they are discarded after use. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. Plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds will no longer be sold in Britain as part of a plan to eradicate "avoidable plastic waste" by 2042, and Prime Minister Theresa May actively called on other leaders in the Commonwealth to implement similar policies. Do you wonder why? 2. Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your citys newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. Another example of a locally issued ban is Seattle where not only single-use plastic bags have been banned but also single-use compostable and biodegradable bags. They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. It is good for our environment, health and global climate. 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. 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. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. 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. 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. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. According to a study carried out in 2013, up to 35 percent of turtle deaths were caused by plastic ingestion and the probability that sea turtles will consume even more plastic increases every year [9]. These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. 2. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. Martin Grimm/Picture-alliance via Associated Press. Already in 2001, researchers found that the mass of microscopic plastic fragments in the North Pacific Central Gyre was 6 times higher than of plankton. Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. What can I do for you? An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) So, retailers incorporate this cost hiddenly into prices of other items sold at stores. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Stanford Reportspoke withJim Leape, co-director of theStanford Center for Ocean Solutions, andCraig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, about the path to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Low rated: 2. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. 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. Why we shouldn't ban plastic straws Antithesis Journal They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. Help raise awareness of fellow consumers that means everyone when you think about it (unless they dont shopever). Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. Heres everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes. In 2015 a mere 24 of these ethane cracker facilities in the United States had the combined carbon output of 3.8 million passenger vehicles. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Once in the ocean, plastic pollution is extremely dangerous to marine life, and plastic straws are no exception. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). 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. For many of us it is hard to imagine that something as small as a plastic bag can actually cause flooding, but residents of some cities in Bangladesh have been struggling with this problem every monsoon season for the past two decades [3]. 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. That's a whole 900 tons of plastic waste produced every day, and that's just for plastic straws! State Disclosures. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. 12 Compelling Reasons For Banning Plastic Bags [2023 Update] - MindsetEco A brief history of how plastic straws took over the world - Environment 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | Greentumble If this happens, there are a few scenarios you can follow: The best thing you can do with those old plastic bags that have been stashed in that overflowing drawer in your kitchen is to recycle them. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. Thats a promising start. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. These examples could go on for a long time. 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. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. Plastics bags are not so much necessary that man cannot live without it. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. 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. This could negatively reflect on their income. Participate in beach or river cleanups. Not only does the waste destroy the land itself, but when plastic is incinerated (as is the case for unrecyclable plastic at some illegal facilities) its toxic fumes quickly become a health hazard for residents, leading to everything from skin rashes to cancer. They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. Plastic straws are everywhere we look. To date, around 60 countries and municipalities around the world have instituted plastic bag bans, and additional seven countries are planning to enforce the law in the closest future. 1. 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. Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Why is plastic bad for the environment? 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. Well, lets have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now. Your email address will not be published. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. Litter can be the first stage in a waste stream that enters waterways as plastics tossed on the street are washed away by rain or travel via storm drains into rivers and streams. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. You can be sure of one thing, though. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. 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. Single-Use Plastics 101 | NRDC Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Divers, for example, descend 130 feet under the water, seek unique-looking creatures, and observe the marine world in all its glory. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. 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. How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. 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. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. This is due to the fact that the plastic tubes are far too lightweight to be recycled in an efficient manner. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. For example, some disabled people may not be able to properly hold or pick up a cup, so they need to use straws to drink properly. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. 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. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. Better alternatives are available 10. 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. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and 1. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. So, for example, companies need to not only make products that are recyclable, but actually make them out of recycled or truly biodegradable material. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. It is possible to enhance ones risk of developing cavities by using a straw while consuming liquids that are either sweet or acidic. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. Harmful to human health 6. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. Search for jobs related to Reasons why smoking should be banned articles or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. Items made of plastic that come into contact with food can be recycled, whereas products made of paper that absorb both food and garbage cannot.
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