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. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Divers, for example, descend 130 feet under the water, seek unique-looking creatures, and observe the marine world in all its glory. 2. What can I do for you? 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. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. 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. 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. InCalifornia, a bill to ban straws unless requested at dine-in restaurants is awaiting a signature from the governor. The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. 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. Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection There is only one requirement these plastic bags need to be dry and clean, otherwise they contaminate the entire batch and your effort will do more harm than good. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. 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. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. 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. Unfortunately, such costs are typically not included in most economic analyses, as they are not easy to calculate because the equation would have to involve many indirect variables. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. 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. Thats nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Coca-Cola makes an estimated 110 billion plastic bottles a year. Most plastic straws are made from harsh chemicals making them impossible to reuse or recycle. 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 . Plastic pollutionwhether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisisimpacts vulnerable communities first. It means that most bags can be recycled. 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. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. 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. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life. Martin Grimm/Picture-alliance via Associated Press. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. Criddle isdirector of StanfordsCodiga Resource Recovery Center,a member ofStanford Bio-Xand an affiliate of thePrecourt Institute for Energy. The explanation is quite simple. Single-Use Plastics 101 | NRDC Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. High costs for cleanup 8. Once the wheel starts spinning, it leads to even more positive changes. Why Are Plastic Straws Bad for the Environment & Should Be Banned And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. Single use plastics wreak havoc on wildlife and the earth. Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. Stanford experts discuss the limitations of these bans and the potential for meaningful change. 10 Reasons You Should Give Up Plastic Straws - sustainablemotown The production of these bags is very energy intensive. PDF Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. Banning Straws and Bags Won't Solve our Plastic Problem 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]. If the environmental movement drew up a Most Unwanted list for 2018, the plastic drinking straw surely would land This is because the customers voluntarily reduce their consumption of plastic bags, which in turn provides enough time for retailers to find suitable alternatives and switch to them. Reduce Aesthetic value of your neighborhood. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. 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. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? [Pros & Cons of a Straw Ban] It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. 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. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? 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. The reason to worry is that scientists do not know how our metabolism and immunity will react to the increased concentration of plastic particles in our system. Required fields are marked *. update email soon. Do you wonder why? This is the case particularly in Southeast Asia, which has begun to import much of the plastic that used to go to China for recycling. 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. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. The following are ten lines on why plastic bags need to be prohibited: 1) The careless disposal of trash in plastic bags leads to an increase in litter.2) The use of plastic bags contributes to the depletion of our natural resources, including water, trees, and agricultural products.3) Because of the danger it causes to marine life, the total "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. Yes, it should. Why Plastic Straws Are Being Banned - Square If there is one piece of advice that everyone should remember, it would be that nothing is for free in this world. 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 NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as time and place elements, style, and grammar); you cant resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you cant republish our material wholesale or automaticallyyou need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when youve used one of our stories. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. 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. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. 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. 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. Reasons why smoking should be banned articlestrabajos How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. Your email address will not be published. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - tmtnevins.com Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. State Disclosures. What about you? But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. 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. (Source: Water in the West), Analysis reveals how restoring relatively narrow forest buffers could substantially improve regional water quality and carbon storage in Costa Rica and elsewhere. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. Not only is plastic estimated to kill millions of marine animals and seabirds each year, but its also contaminating seafood that humans have relied on for millennia, particularly with microplastics in animals guts. Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Many of the chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors,and research has suggested that human exposure could cause health impacts including hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems like infertility, and even cancer. These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. But should plastic straws really be banned? Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. Ms. LISA PAI . 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. Read more about us. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. While an extra two cents may not seem like a lot, it could make a difference for some businesses that depend on plastic straws. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable. Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. 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. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. 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. You can share this article on social media by using the share buttons below. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. 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. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. It is estimated that there are now 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. 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. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. If plastic straws are completely banned, local small businesses like boba tea shops will have to look for pricier alternatives. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. For example, a reusable jute bag should last at least 4 years, during which it can prevent the use of 600 single-use plastic bags. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. There are definitely differing opinions on whether or not plastic straws should be banned. 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. Our goal is to inspire people to change their attitudes and behaviors toward a more sustainable life. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. According to a study that was published by Bloomberg News, it is predicted that the percentage of contaminated ocean water that is caused by plastic straws and stirrers is a shockingly modest 0.03 percent. The most heartbreaking part of this is that the affected animals are not aware they eat something that will make them feel miserable and will slowly kill them. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. This means that the average consumption of plastic bags per person dropped from 328 bags per year to just 21 [20]. Your email address will not be published. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. 10 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned A plastic straw ban could be a good step in the right direction, but we must use less single-use products overall to actually help the environment. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuelbased chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after useoften, in mere minutes. Buy in bulk. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. Killing wildlife 5. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. 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.