In 2012, Americans alone produced over 250 million tons of garbage. One large component of this waste consisted of oil based plastic bags, which are utilized excessively by grocers, restaurants, and stores nationwide. In order to reduce this source of waste, many countries are banning plastic bags or taxing customers for their use. Utilizing at least two scholarly sources, discuss at least two environmental problems caused by such extensive plastic bag use? If you were in charge what plan might you propose to reduce or eliminate their use? Discuss the economic impacts of implementing your plan versus the financial impacts of making no change in our current use.…
First, there is no mechanism or law to reinforce the use of reusable bags. For example, local governments seem reluctant to develop policy that will discourage the use of plastic bags. In order to reduce the impact of plastic bags, local governments must take some measure that will discourage the use of plastic bags. For example, in Singapore, Shoppers needing a plastic bag are encouraged to donate 10 cents towards the Singapore Environment Council to help finance its environmental activities. Shoppers are also encouraged to decline bags when making small purchases ( Civil Service College, 2014). Second, most supermarkets still provide plastic bags at no cost. Third, there is a lack of public awareness on the impact of plastic bags on the environment. As most of the participants noted during the our campaign. In response to this, I wrote a poem about the impact of plastic…
One of the most commonly used items in modern generation is the plastic bag. Sufficient, convenient, strong and cheap, plastic bags are seem to be perfect for marketing merchandise, foods, drinks and more. However, there are associated issues with the production, use and disposal of these bags which may not be known to most users but which are nonetheless extremely important especially to the environment. To fully understand the ecological footprint of plastic bags, determining the life cycle of it is needed. This report will outline the ecological footprint of plastic bags by assessing the immediate effects associated with their manufacturing, usage and disposal.…
The usage of plastic bags is a major concern firstly due to the amount of precious resources that goes into manufacturing it. More alarmingly for Singapore, the local consumption for plastic bags last year was reported to have amounted to three billion pieces – an equivalent of 37 million kg of crude oil and 12 million kg of natural gas. The issue is made more tragic when we consider the fact that most of these plastic bags end up in the incinerator.…
Many individuals underestimate the amount of plastic we use each day. According to the article “Plastic Bags Wars”, “the world consumes 1 million plastic shopping bags every minute”. Plastic bags, along with many other types of plastics, have become a leading source of pollution worldwide (Doucette). Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita foundation states that we use two million plastic bottles in the United States every five minutes. Discovered by Charles Moore in 1997, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is a prime example of the amount of plastic pollution that enters the ocean from land. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been described as a filthy plastic collage of discarded cups, straws, lids, bags, and food container’s. These giant patches of plastic debris have also been identified as the nation’s most significant marine debris problem (Murphy). This enormous amount of plastic pollution on our beaches and in our oceans is harming humans and marine life; therefore, to stop this global issue, we must prevent plastics from entering our oceans.…
Plastic bags are made out of non-biodegradable substance.(not organic)Because they are durable they do not rot. Scientist believe that it would take up to 1,000 years to break down. In that time plastic bags separate into smaller toxic particles that contaminates the soil and even waterways. Even if we try to burn them, it pollutes the atmosphere…
References: (1) Worldwide Home Environmentalists Network home.vicnet.net.au/~when/plastic.htm (2) Environment Australia, Plastic Shopping Bags - Analysis of Levies and Environmental Impacts (Nolan ITU, 2002) www.deh.gov.au/industry/waste/plastic-bags/bags-analysis.html…
The purpose of this research is to find out the damage that is caused by plastic rubbish and how to avoid it. Plastic rubbish is a global problem and affects us all. This research will be based on secondary research, so by existing literature.…
Plastic bags have rapidly becoming popular among consumers and retailers due to its convenience and functionality and it comes at a relatively low cost. Wastage and hygiene issue arises as these non- biodegradable bags are usually littered and not recycled. Technological advances that led to even lighter bags have worsened this problem. These lighter bags are often not suitable for reuse and heavy items have to be double bag, increasing the use of plastic bags. As a result, more scare land has to be converted into landfills to provide long- term storage for this waste.…
As a conclusion, I am confident that the usage of biodegradable plastic bags can greatly help us in solving the worldwide plastic bag problem. However, people should come together and take this threat in earnest in order to deal with…
As you may know, plastic bags are one of the main sources of rubbish that end up polluting our rivers and oceans. In fact, the problem has become so immense that a huge island of rubbish containing plastic bags and other items has formed in the middle of the Northern Pacific Ocean. The area polluted by this rubbish is so vast that it covers an area greater than the size of Australia.…
In 2008, our global plastic consumption worldwide has been estimated at 260 million tons. Plastic is versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture resistant, strong, and relatively inexpensive. Those are the attractive qualities that lead us, around the world, to such a voracious appetite and over-consumption of plastic goods. However, durable and very slow to degrade, plastic materials that are used in the production of so many products all, ultimately, become waste with staying power. Our tremendous attraction to plastic, coupled with an undeniable behavioral propensity of increasingly over-consuming, discarding, littering and thus polluting, has become a combination of lethal nature.…
of nature degradation. Current plastic bag use and disposal, both by consumers and through waste management activities, not only create environmental problems, but also reinforce the perception of a wasteful society. Plastic bags as litter create a visual pollution problem, and affect our aquatic wildlife, while the heavy reliance on ‘disposable’ plastic bags by the Malaysian consumer raises questions of resource consumption and resource efficiency. Many of the grocery stores use the plastic bags as a tool to keep the things easy to carrying. Plastic bags aren’t just at the grocery store, there everywhere, landfills, the oceans and lakes, hanging on trees around our neighborhoods and suffocating wildlife. As a human being, I’m agreeing that plastic bags should be banned permanently. This is because plastic bags are not biodegradable, so where ever people leave them, they will stay, forever.…
Plastic has become such an integral part of society; it is used in nearly everything. They are accepted by a majority of people as an important feature to all products such as cellphones and bags because of their high resilient properties, their affordability, accessibility, and their low weight. With all these positive elements of plastic, it may seem that plastic is completely problem-free. The only problem is; there is a very pressing problem regarding plastics. Plastic can have negative impacts for the environments around them as well as the people being exposed to it. For this reason, society must become more informed about the plastic they are using and its disposal method. Ever since the 1940’s when plastic began its mass production, the rate of manufacturing of plastic has drastically increased (Knoblauch, 2009). In fact, the amount of plastics being manufactured within the last ten years is comparable to the amount that was manufactured within the previous century (Knoblauch, 2009). Plastic is made to last for a long time thanks to the unregulated amount of chemicals that are added to it; the same chemicals that are known to be potentially dangerous to humans. Even though humans are the ones creating such mess, they are not the only ones who are affected by it. Marine life and their environment are constantly being hurt due to the 8.4 million tons of plastic waste that accumulate in the ocean per year (Karpus, 2012). Unless plastic awareness and waste management methods are enforced, plastic will continue to harm life on Earth.…
At moments, individual be compelled to do offerings also examine your best to destroy mutual plans that enriched segment your everyday sustenance. Even though Plastics seem prime factor to a daily living, from parquet and every day’s goods to food package, plastic is completely over the place. Despite, there are a plenty of techniques I decide to eliminate plastic use for the last three days. Escaping treated pre-packaged foods, taking re-usable shopping bags to market, avoiding the use of water bottles nonetheless, without severe methods it appears can be practically impossible to get rid of this non-ecological substance from ones live for good. Not all plastics has been equally use, so if we are picking and choosing plastics to rid from your life, start with the following steps.…