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Three negative externalities that arise from plastic bags
Importance of plastics in our environment
Three negative externalities that arise from plastic bags
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In 2014, California became the first U.S. state to ban the use of plastic bags in stores. This was a heroic move that boldly elevated concern for the environment above shoppers’ convenience. All states should follow California’s example and either ban or significantly limit the use of plastic bags in stores. Plastic bags waste valuable natural resources. Consider that plastic bags are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable and problematic resource. Petroleum is oil, which damages the environment when it is extracted from the ground and gives off dangerous greenhouse gases when burned. According to the National Resources Defense Council, it takes 12 million barrels of oil to make the 70 - 100 billion plastic bags that Americans use each year.
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
“Paper or plastic?” This is often a question customers are asked at the weekly trip to the supermarket to purchase groceries to keep families fed. Adam B. Summers has created a highly plausible argument that may change customer’s answer next time. In Summers’ “Bag ban bad for freedom and environment” editorial for the San Diego Union-Tribune, he argues against the possible laws hindering Californians from using plastic bags at grocery stores. He believes they would do more harm than good, and that “a little reason and perspective is in order.” By the end of this piece the reader will likely find themselves nodding in agreement with what Summers has to say, and this isn’t just because he’s right. Summers, like any good writer, employs tactical
Using plastic bags were something everyone feels bad using. We use them everyday in some form or another, but we tend to forget the bad that they do. Plastic bags should not be used or allowed in the U.S because it tends to do more harm than good in our society or world.
The article Plastic bags are Good for you, by Katherine Mangu-Ward was written to explore the pro’s and con’s of three different types of bags. Which is better between plastic, paper, or reusable bags has always been a debatable question with an opinionated answer. In the article Mangu-Ward characterizes the cause and effect relationships which have lead to the unpopularity of plastic bags in terms of guilt.
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human
Ironically, plastic, which is a material designed to last forever, is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year, about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides, either way it finds its way to the ocean.
Finally, the manufacturing of plastic products by companies should be banned by the United Statea government. If we ban production of plastic objects more oil will be available for us when we need it. We need it for our planes, trains, and automobiles. People the People the companies will be held responsible and will have to serve jail time.
The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals, and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution at every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution.
Everyone has heard a cashier one time or another mumble, “Paper or plastic?” as he put their groceries in a bag, but do shoppers know the effects of each vessel in which they carry their comestibles? There are many issues and benefits to both paper and plastic. The making and recycling of both paper and plastic bags can harm the environment. One must also look at the costs of making each bag. The convenience of each is also something to look at. Many people jump to conclusion that paper bags are better for the environment without knowing the facts. Since plastic bags are preferred by customers and plastic bags actually do not hurt the environment as much as paper ones do, consumers should feel at ease when choosing plastic.
Greenhouse gases and air pollution have reached such alarming levels that it has become imperative that everyone par takes in recycling. Recycling is the process by which an item is re-used beyond its original intent. The issue over whether there should be a federal mandate to recycle has been a highly debated issue of late. Supporters of mandating recycling believe it should be required to recycle because it reduces wastes in landfills, creates a healthier environment, and reduces greenhouse gases. However, opponents to the mandate believe recycling is too expensive, and that it is an intrusion of personal liberty. Likewise, there are “bottle bills” that consists of a deposit refund system in which consumers have the opportunity to get a refund on the deposits they pay the retailers to encourage recycling. However, many times large corporations such as Coca-Cola spend large amounts of money to make sure bills like this do not happen. Our government should pass a federal mandate that individuals in all states have to recycle. Although at first it may seem as though that would require too much government intervention, the larger more important picture is that it would significantly reduce pollution in the environment, and result in heath benefits for everyone.
...ns. Plastics help in many ways. They hold the liquids we drink out of, the containers we use for storage, the hangers we put our clothes on, parts in cars, and everything in between. I do not support pollution but I support recycling. I don’t support pollution because like I stated in the paragraph above, when people throw plastics out the window it endangers animals and causes death among the raises of the different species. The moment a plastic Kroger bag is thrown out the window of a car a bird picks it up and flies with it, then there is a possibility that it could get wrapped around its neck and the bird is strangled and now dead. I do support recycling because it is a better way to save energy and take care of waste in a safer way. Recycling compacts what would be a huge mound of trash into a small compactable reusable substance. Also it saves time and energy.
made from oil and natural gas. Using plastics to replace packaging materials such as metal
Saillant, Catherine. "L.A. Starts 2014 with Its New Plastic-bag Ban." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.