10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned

Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. But only a few of us realize that each time we accept those disposable plastic grocery bags at store checkout, we actively participate in wasting energy and depleting non-renewable resources. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. 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). 1. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. One recent survey found plastics in 94 percent of tap water samples in the U.S. and in nearly every brand of bottled water. Thus, plastic straws cant be recycled. Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. According to a 2017 study, more than half of non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items. Ms. LISA PAI . Gas, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. Not easy to recycle 7. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. 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. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Only then would a plastic straw ban be able to actually help preserve the environment. (Photo credit: Shutterstock). 8 good reasons to give up plastic straws - CareElite Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Do plastic straws really make a difference? - Stanford Earth Nows the Time. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. TOP 10 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned BEST and NEWEST Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. In many instances, it may seem too awkward for you to refuse the bag, so you accept it this one time, but you should know that it is fine to say no politely even at this stage if you dont want that bag. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. As plastic bags tend to get caught in recycling machinery, most recycling facilities do not have the capacity to recycle plastic bags and therefore do not accept them. These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative. 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]. According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. Also, giving a speech in . Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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 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. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. (Source: Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment), Stanford scientists are among a growing number of researchers harnessing artificial intelligence techniques to bring more realistic representations of ubiquitous atmospheric ripples into global climate models. Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. (Everything You Need To Know)Continue, Many restaurants have banned plastic straws due to their harmful effects on the environment, and have switched to paper alternatives instead. No! Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? Learn how your comment data is processed. Buy in bulk. You probably already saw the video, but if you didnt, you can watch it below (WARNING: Graphic Content): Supporters of plastic straw bans claim that the ban will help reduce our use of single-use plastics. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. What Are Single-use Plastics and Should They Be Banned? The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. | | The single biggest reason why people want to ban plastic straws is because of their negative effects on the environment. JIM LEAPE: Our oceans are currently swimming with plastics. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. 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. They're not alone. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7]. (Its also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. 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. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname Garbage Island, companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesnt come without consequences. Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. Ultimately, we can further decrease costs and achieve economies of scale through decentralized production systems and perhaps also at large biorefineries. Banning Straws and Bags Won't Solve our Plastic Problem The explanation is quite simple. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems facing our world today. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. But this comes along with many unanswered questions. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. We've all become too hooked on the availability and comfort of the stuff. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - david-el.co.il Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. and reefs composed of coral, F) I Plastic straws are one of the top five most often used items. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. What about you? Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem. Some experts estimate that more than 1 million sea animals are killed each year by straws and other types of plastic trash. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. 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. In the spirit of eliminating waste, plastic straws appeared to be a way to further the cause: straws aren't essential to the dining experience, and by banning them, oceans, streets, and general society would theoretically benefit. Plastics bags are not so much necessary that man cannot live without it. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. 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. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. 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. 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. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. By being aware about these issues, you will be ready to present some strong arguments why plastic bags should be banned in your area and answer questions of people who will become your ally if you will persuade them about your good intentions. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Criddle has evaluated use of microorganisms to biodegrade plastic materials and to synthesize biodegradable bioplastics from waste feedstocks. Busca trabajos relacionados con Reasons why smoking should be banned articles o contrata en el mercado de freelancing ms grande del mundo con ms de 22m de trabajos. By 2030, CEO James Quincey has pledged to use 50 percent recycled material in its bottles and cans and recycle one bottle or can. 82 percent of the responding food service establishments were aware of the prohibition, and 69 percent of those establishments viewed the ban favorably. Coca-Cola makes an estimated 110 billion plastic bottles a year. The first answer to this question that comes to everyones mind is to stop using plastic bags, right? Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production thats contributing to global climate change. Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. 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. 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. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Why Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? - Nationwide Plastics We do not know the full impact of microplastics exceeding the mass of plankton in the ocean. 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. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. 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]. Cause of environmental pollution 2. Its also important to look at the bigger picture regarding plastic bans. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. The country instituted the ban in 2013 to minimize livestock deaths. Beyond the costs associated with the production and purchasing of plastic bags by retailers, there are many external costs that are often not considered. This includes waste collection, regular cleanups to remove plastic bag litter along the roads or blown away from landfills and then even processing at landfill sites. Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. 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. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. 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. This way, disabled people can continue to be served, while also reducing the number of plastic straws that we use. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. 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. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Animals living in the ocean might frequently confuse the plastic for food. 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. Yes, it should. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. All rights reserved. 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. If the environmental movement drew up a Most Unwanted list for 2018, the plastic drinking straw surely would land They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. Facebook; Contact Now . A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globemost often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! Low rated: 2. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but free.. 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. Don't Ban Straws - Reason.com What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. 1. Stanford experts discuss the limitations of these bans and the potential for meaningful change. 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. We all are just trying to do our job well. 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 straws are not the first iteration of straws. 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? We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. Thats a promising start. 4. Lizzie Carr is shining a light on what is floating through the worlds waterways, and breaking athletic records along the way. McDonald's recently announced . As a result, the actual recycling rate for plastic bags globally is between 5 to 15 percent, while in the United States it makes only 1 percent a year [17]. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. 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. Tushy Ace Review (After 3 Months): Is this Luxury Bidet Worth it? Policies like bottle bill lawswhich generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycleare a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle.

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