10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned

Not easy to recycle 7. Individual actions can lead to collective actions. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. 2015-2023 Greentumble. To make matters worse, if plastic straws get into the ocean, they can be mistaken for food by marine animals. 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. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned, [1] https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf, [2] https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/getting-rid-of-plastic-bags-a-windfall-for-supermarkets-but-it-wont-do-much-for-the-environment/, [3] https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/2018/04/09/plastic-chokes-dhakas-drainage/, [4] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bags-petroleum/, [5] https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2935417&page=1, [6] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/, [7] https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124006/pdf, [8] https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/rare-sea-turtles-eating-plastic-at-record-rate, [9] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cobi.12126, [10] http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=934, [11] http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/12/plastic-bags-and-animals-making-the-wild-safe-for-wildlife/, [12] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460, [13] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/22/microplastics-found-in-human-stools-for-the-first-time, [14] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bag-clean-costs/, [15] http://www.bagmonster.com/2010/04/the-true-cost-of-single-use-bags.html, [16] http://www.cep.unep.org/cep-documents/unep-press-release-on-the-effects-of-plastic-waste-on-marine-ecosystems.pdf, [17] https://greentumble.com/can-plastic-bags-be-recycled/, [18] https://1bagatatime.com/learn/plastic-bag-clean-costs/, [19] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-countries-are-in-the-world.html, [20] https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. High costs for cleanup 8. Thanks for signing up. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. Oil and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources and through their extraction and production, they emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change. These dyes on their own can leach toxins, but they can also be contaminated with traces of heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, both of which affect kidney health and proper functioning of other organs. We all are just trying to do our job well. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. . Many of you may have heard it already. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits. Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. 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. In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life. Microplastics are plastic debris that measures less than five millimetres, or 0.2 inches, in diameter. Come with external costs 9. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. At the beginning of July 2018, Seattle became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic straws. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. 4. 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. 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. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. (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. 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. As plastic bags are not disposed properly . Divers, for example, descend 130 feet under the water, seek unique-looking creatures, and observe the marine world in all its glory. 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. Paper straws cost on average around 2.5 cents ($0.025), whereas plastic straws cost only half a cent ($0.005). Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 2. Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and Californias bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. Lizzie Carr is shining a light on what is floating through the worlds waterways, and breaking athletic records along the way. Buy in bulk. 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. Its because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7]. How To Make A Bracelet Out Of Plastic String? 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.). Made from petroleum products, Baekland's " bakelite " plastic was a revolutionary material. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. There are definitely differing opinions on whether or not plastic straws should be banned. Plastic straws are one of the most common forms of pollution found on beaches and in oceans all over the world. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Tweet, call, or send letters to these companies to ask them to switch to more durable, recyclable, compostable, renewable, and/or recycled-content packaging with less fossil fuelderived plastic. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. The problem with plastic straws is that they are one of the biggest causes of unnecessary plastic pollution. Once the wheel starts spinning, it leads to even more positive changes. Overall, the main reason for a plastic straw ban is to help the environment by preventing plastic straws pollution. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment?Continue. This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. The resulting number is staggering. 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. Even when you dont see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain. PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. The explanation is quite simple. This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags. 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. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. edinburgh airport address. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Banning straws may confer 'moral license' allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. A 2017 Environmental Sciences and Technology study reported that up to 95 percent of plastic waste enters oceans from one of 10 riverseight in Asia and two in Africa. If this happens, there are a few scenarios you can follow: The best thing you can do with those old plastic bags that have been stashed in that overflowing drawer in your kitchen is to recycle them. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death. 15. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. She can remember all of her vehicles the Pontiac 6000, her familys car that was passed on to her when she went to college; the Volkswagen Rabbit, and later Fox, that took her through young adulthood; the Honda Civics,, Read More Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics)Continue, Whether youre a scuba diver, snorkeler, or amateur swimmer, the ocean is a playground where you come to explore the beauty of nature and the difference from your regular lifes environment. The inaccuracy of this number calls into doubt the veracity of the overall case against using plastic straws as a drinking implement. A complete ban on plastic straws would harm disabled people, which definitely isnt the goal of such a ban. Without proper education, few people would know the purpose of the ban, and they would continue using other single-use plastics which could be even worse for the environment. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. 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. 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. What do the bans accomplish? Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. 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. In this article, Ill go over both the pros and cons of a plastic straw ban. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. A Ban Could Harm Local Businesses If Microplastics were found in soft drinks like Coca Cola, in tap water, in seafood It has contaminated our food chain, so it should not surprise us that it can be tracked in our body. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. These are known to be hormone-disrupting chemicals. What Is Plastic Made Of And How Is It Manufactured? 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. that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. Even if you can't go zero waste entirely, it's high time we all ended our reliance on single use plastics. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. Starting in the 1960s, plastic straw manufacturing took off. Ill also go over whether or not plastic straw bans will actually help the environment, and explain everything else youll need to know. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. 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. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy update email soon. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). Plastic bags are everywhere. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. So, for example, companies need to not only make products that are recyclable, but actually make them out of recycled or truly biodegradable material. 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. 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. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. 5 Metals in your Home that can be Recycled for Cash, How exactly bidets offer a healthier, green option for your bathroom, A Closer Look at General Motors (GM) Sustainability Initiatives. Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out.

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