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. 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. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. 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.). 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 answer isnt as simple as you may think: While its true that paper straws arent as harmful as plastic straws, this doesnt mean that, Read More Paper vs. 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. Yeah I end up going through like 5 paper straws because they keep disintegrating and I can't drink my drink anymore. Each year on two far-flung Australian islands, more than half a million hermit crabs die after becoming trapped inside our plastic waste. According to some estimates, the cost of plastic bag cleanup is about 17 cents per bag [14] and the cost is paid by us once again. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. 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. In fact, the global backlash against plastic straws likely started after researchers off the coast of Costa Rica shared a viral video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose. It may not seem like much, but when you imagine how many bags they have to provide throughout a year, you will quickly realize that plastic bags are costly. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled "Plastic Pollution."But China announced it plans to outlaw the production and sale of . 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. Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. 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. 1. Plastic bags floating in the ocean resemble jellyfish, one of the main sources of food for some species of sea turtles, especially the critically-endangered Leatherback turtles. We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. The bottom line of any plastic ban is that we must use less single-use plastics overall. Plastic bags being the major component of the trash thrown away, most of it ends up on the streets. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. If we ban single-use plastic straws we will have to turn to the dangerous alternatives.In source In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. The problem with plastic straws is that they are one of the biggest causes of unnecessary plastic pollution. They're not alone. Once in the ocean, plastic pollution is extremely dangerous to marine life, and plastic straws are no exception. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. 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-. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. We add another 8 million tons each year thats about five grocery bags full of plastic waste on every foot of shoreline around the world, according to a recent study. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. 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. Plastic straws are not the first iteration of straws. Many of you may have heard it already. Rating: 5 (913 reviews) Highest rating: 5. 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? And cracker plantswhich break, or crack, ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic productsare energy intensive and highly polluting. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. 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. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! 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. Using a straw directs a concentrated stream of liquid onto a localized area of the teeth, which can cause the enamel to wear away and lead to dental disease. Which brings us to the second part. However, if a plastic straw ban is properly implemented with education about single-use plastics, then the ban could encourage the public to reduce their usage of other single-use plastics as well. Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. On average, taxpayers end up paying about $88 per year just on plastic bag waste [15]. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. About; Disability Vote Blog; Organizer's Forum; Issues; News; NDLA Webinars Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. 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. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. We will The explanation is quite simple. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? 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. As plastic bags are not disposed properly . Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. 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. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. 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. 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. Let us know if you liked this article. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. If youd like to learn more about how plastic straws negatively impact the environment, you can check out this article I wrote about the environmental impact of plastic straws. All rights reserved. Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. How? 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. Stanford experts discuss the limitations of these bans and the potential for meaningful change. Thus, plastic straws cant be recycled. The production of these bags is very energy intensive. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just ten rivers carry 93 percent of the worlds total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year. Its Plastic Incineration. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. McDonald's recently announced . However, one thing we know, is that by introducing a pollutant that may never break down in the environment can have implications that will far exceed any of our predictions. update email soon. A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globemost often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. Leape has long been a leader in ocean conservation efforts. China 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned Manufacturers, Supply 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with High Quality, Wholesale 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with Low Price, High Quality. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. 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. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. 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. LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. We all are just trying to do our job well. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. 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. Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earths resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste. In effect, nature has designed this plastic for disassembly. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. Learn how your comment data is processed. Without further due, here are the top 3 ways kids can help, Read More 3 Ways Kids can Help the EarthContinue, What Are Microplastics? Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. On other issues, from overfishing to deforestation, we have seen that consumer-facing companies like McDonalds, Unilever and Walmart can be exquisitely sensitive to the concerns of their customers. 300 to 700 plastic bags pass through the hands of an average American in just one year [8] and a survey of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concluded that the average household in the United Kingdom stores around 40 plastic shopping bags at home [2]. 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. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. Plastic bags are everywhere. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". Tangled in trees and fences along roads, floating in water, lying on the ground in parks and forests, surrounding garbage bins, washed off on beaches. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. Will others? 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. Thats a promising start. (Its also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. Most of it is either dumped in landfills or ends up in the ocean. According to estimates made by scientists, there are 7.5 million polluting straws around the shores of the United States, and anywhere from 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws throughout the coastlines of the rest of the globe. If the environmental movement drew up a Most Unwanted list for 2018, the plastic drinking straw surely would land We should just stick to plastic. Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? 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. Most plastic straws are made from harsh chemicals making them impossible to reuse or recycle. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? 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]. 15. You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. 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. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable. That's a whole 900 tons of plastic waste produced every day, and that's just for plastic straws! These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative. Paper vs. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. 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. But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. Although, really, these tips can be used by anyone, not just kids. 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? Most retailers will get your point, but it can also happen that they will not be willing to sell you some products without placing it in their plastic bags because of having to oblige with some hygiene and sanitary standards (for example when selling meat products). 2. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). 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. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. Plastic bag bansideally accompanied by a fee on paper bagsare also catching on. Plastic bags. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. What to do with plastic bags you already have at home? Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. 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. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. 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. Communities with good awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags have been more successful at enforcing the ban [20]. 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. 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. ), then its clean! Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. The first country to ban single-use plastic bags was Bangladesh in 2002 when plastic bag litter clogged drainage channels and contributed to destructive floods. Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. The cashier usually understands, only had to do what instructed and what most customers expect (unfortunately) from him or her. What do the bans accomplish? Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. But, are paper straws really better for the environment? NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. 2. 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. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. In my opinion, plastic straws should not be banned outright, because many disabled people require plastic straws to drink. We all know what the debate is between plastic and paper straws but paper straws are horrible they will immediately break apart in your mouth and feel horrible. For many in the disabled community, the availability of plastic straws is essential for their well-being and survival. 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. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13]. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7].
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