But, most of us are blissfully unaware of the repercussions that are occurring and. Study 1 showed a greater increase in consumers own bag use after the charge was introduced in supermarkets where the policy was introduced, in comparison to control supermarkets where the charge was not introduced, or was introduced later in time. The group conducted a survey of 80 large stores such as. An evaluation of the effects of californias proposed plastic bag ban 7. Initiatives to reduce plastic bag use in eu member states. The harmful effects of plastic bags every once in a while the government passes out an order banning shop keepers from providing plastic bags to customers for carrying their purchases, with little lasting effect. Most mammals are too big to get caught up in a plastic bag. I am quite keen to highlight, the ill effects of using plastic bags. Once you get home, youll throw the shopper bag in the litter outside. Dec, 2016 researchers at cardiff university, in the united kingdom, found that a fee for plastic bags introduced in october 2015 has led to a sharp decline in the number of shoppers who take singleuse bags at checkout, from 25 percent to 7 percent after one year.
Banning plastic bags and encouraging the use of reusable bags nationwide is the best way to protect coral reefs like the garden flower banks. That said, there are ways that municipalities have been encouraging citizens to help them to recycle plastic bags. Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up the precious resources of the earth. Plastic bag ban will benefit the economy despite initial losses sunday, september 3, 2017 17. Hence, if reusing bags is to be promoted as a strategy to minimize the utilization of plastic bags then the periodic washing of the bags should also be made mandatory for the customers. A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film. Some cities have opted for a tax on plastic bags, such as washington, d. Big black bin liners, plastic carrier bags carrying advertising logos, clear sandwich bags and a variety of other forms are all polluting our environment. Plastic bags are particularly noticeable components of the litter stream due to their size and can take a long time to fully break down.
It is true that recycling plastic bags is problematic. This morning when you woke up to your plastic alarm clock, you jumped in the shower with a plastic curtain and used shampoo and conditioner from a plastic bottle, and you shaved with a plastic razor. While the industrial development of plastic in many ways made life easier, plastic production impacts every phase of the life cycle. Plastic questionnaire answer from 30 student the true answer are colored red. It is also very vital to know and apply solutions to limit the rapid growth of plastic bags pollution. Plastic bags are quite commonly mistaken for food by animals, especially when the bags carry food residues, are brightly coloured or are animated by the movement of water. Effects of plastic bags on the environment the point.
You must not only get information to be aware of the effects of plastic bags. Are you aware of the environmental effects plastic is causing in the world. Jul 24, 2012 houston community college systems central campus speech 11 fundamental of speech summer ii 2012 the harmful effects of plastic bags presented by. Kroger, a cincinnatibased grocery chain in usa, began to replace its other paper shopping bags with plastic bags in 1982. Assessing the impact of the complete ban on plastic carry bag. What are the environmental impacts of paper versus plastic bags. The need to implement various measures to save planet earth has become even more urgent as we continue to inch towards an obvious disaster that we have created for ourselves.
The primary objective of the plastic shopping bag prs is to significantly reduce the indiscriminate use of plastic shopping bags in hong kong. Canada, also banned plastic bags with ottawa expected to also put the ban into effect. The isolated microbial strains were identified based on their cultural morphological and biochemical study. The effects of plastic bags on the environment are really quite devastating. A river, sewer or beach cant catch everything the rain washes away. What are the effects of plastic bags on the environment. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link.
Aug 18, 2018 the effects of plastic bags on the environment. First, they are manufactured from oil, creating further demand for environmentally damaging oil extraction. Plastic bags are non biodegradable, and are extremely hazardous to the environment. Bans on plastic bags harm the environment just facts. Policy responses to plastic waste come in many forms and executive summary. Due to the toxic chemical composition of plastic bags, its exposure causes illnesses like birth defects, cancer, and other systemic illness. Assessment of impacts of options to reduce the use of singleuse.
Plastic bags are made from nonrenewable fossil fuelspetroleum or natural gas. Danger to animal life, especially when they find their way into the sea. The effects of plastic bags on environment healthguidance. The butts have filters made of a plastic called cellulose acetate.
Bellinghams plastic bag ban took effect august 1, 2012. Effect of plastic grocery bags on environment and its reuse. Recycling polyethylene is the most consumed polymer around the world. One of the ways that plastic bags can be recycled is to place them in the recycling bin, with one caveat. But the problems surrounding waste plastic bags starts long before they photodegrade. Besides the most obvious plastic items like bags and cutlery, there is the cigarette butt, which one does not often think of as plastic. Using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment and agriculture conference paper pdf available december 2011 with 17,150 reads how we measure reads. Plastic pollution involves the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that. An evaluation of the effects of californias proposed plastic. Environmental effects of the single use bag ordinance in.
A study from the national center for policy analysis claims that a ban on plastic bags used by grocers and retailers can negatively impact sales in the ban area and increase sales among stores just outside the bag ban region. Secondary research comprised collecting documents relating to the plastic. Plastic grocery bags are banned in aspen, colorado, and the trend is spreading as other cities, including austin, boulder, philadelphia, and portland, oregon, consider potential plastic bans. Often carried from land fills by the wind, discarded plastic bags are often seen hanging in bushes, floating. Apr 01, 2016 hence, if reusing bags is to be promoted as a strategy to minimize the utilization of plastic bags then the periodic washing of the bags should also be made mandatory for the customers. The production of plastic bags depletes our earths nonrenewable resources viz. Due to the problems associated with singleuse plastic bags and following signing of legislation related to plastic bags1, governor cuomo convened the new york state plastic bag task force in february 2017. Jun 21, 2018 90% people aware of harmful effects of plastic bags, but still use it. Harmful effects of plastics on health and environment h.
Lets take a look at the negative effects of plastic in detail. It cost more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one. Thousands of plastic factories are producing tons of plastic bags which are very popularly used by the people for shopping purposes because of its ease, cheapness and convenience of use but their very hazardous negative impact is never highlighted or, at the very. The need for a national ban on plastic bags, as opposed to focusing on coastal states or even cities is due to the contribution of rivers to oceanic plastic. Sep 17, 2012 disposable plastic bags are an environmental problem for several reasons. There is a swirling sea of plastic bags, bottles and other debris that is growing in the north paci. Plastic bag bans are bad for the environment by angela logomasini the past several years have seen a groundswell of regulations on plastics, particularly plastic bags and cups and food containers made from polystyrene or styrofoam. Plastic buried in soil can release a toxic chemical which mixes into the ground making it harmful for agriculture and human use, it can also seep into the ground and mix with groundwater. Trillions of plastic bags have been produced since their introduction over 30 yr ago. That is the reason it is best to reuse plastic bags as much as possible. In 1977, the plastic grocery bag was introduced to the supermarket industry as an alternative to paper sacks 2. Plastic bag ban will benefit the economy despite initial.
Although plastic bags make up only a small percentage of all litter, the impact of these bags is nevertheless significant. Exposure to harmful chemicals during manufacturing, leaching in the stored food items while using plastic packages or chewing of plastic teethers and toys by children are linked with severe adverse health outcomes such as cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive effects etc. Plastic is an organic material manufactured from petroleum derivatives. A field survey of the city of sanaa and the surrounding areas, yemen. Plastic, one of the most preferred materials in todays industrial world is posing serious threat to environment and consumers health in many direct and indirect ways. Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 percent of all plastic water bottles, bags and straws are used just once and thrown away.
The impact of plastic bags in the sea was graphically illustrated recently by media. Due to the toxic chemical composition of plastic bags, its exposure causes illnesses like birth defects, cancer, and other systemic illness plastic bags also affect animals, birds, and aquatic organisms. Our planet is becoming increasingly contaminated by our unnecessary use of plastic bags. The bellingham city council approved the single use carry out bag ordinance commonly known as the plastic bag ban in july 2011. From katy perrys song fireworks to a random episode of family guy, somehow a mindless act of a piece of plastic being tossed around in the blowing wind has made an impression on todays culture. The great pacific garbage patch not all trash ends up in a dump. Around 500,000 plastic bags are collected during clean up australia day each year. The harmful effects of plastic on human health and the. An assessment of the environmental and economic effects of grocery bag bans and taxes by julian morris and brian seasholes executive summary in the past 15 years, approximately 190 municipalities in the u. Over 100,000 animals were killed by entanglement over a 3 yr period. Harmful effects of plastic bags the harmful effects of plastic bags are numerous and it affects human, all living organisms, soil, water, air, and the entire ecosystem. Learn about the harmful effects of plastic on human health and the environment in this excerpt from chapter 2, ecology.
Plastic bags impact on both the environment and society. It is also important that people be educated and informed on the negative effects of the plastic bags in order to refrain from poor disposal and littering. Clean up australia day is a nationwide initiative to get as many members of the public to get out and pick up litter from their local areas. Raw materials paper bags are made from a renewal resourcetrees. Jul 07, 2014 final project in english 1010, the assignment was to write an essay and make a presentation. Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up. While there are many objections to the banning of plastic bags based solely on their convenience, the damage to the environment needs to be controlled. Poly bag and capitol poly, were instrumental in the manufacturing, marketing and perfecting of plastic bags in the 1980s. Using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment and. In countries such as south africa, discarded plastic bags are a major eyesore. There has been ongoing debate on the use of plasticpolythene bags across the. Plastic bags a hazard for the environment and a challenge.
The alternatives for plastic bags like jute bags and paper bags were suggested by a. Qlwlrqri3odvwlf plastic is an organic material manufactured from petroleum derivatives. Effectiveness of plastic regulation around the world. Plastic bags drifting through the wind have many references in popular culture. This graph documents the volume by weight of debris types gathered in 2012 during. Apart from litter, the environmental impact of plastic carrier bags is dominated by extraction. From a vegetable vendor to a designer store, everyone seems to use them. The alternatives for plastic bags like jute bags and paper bags were suggested by a few participants in this study.
While litter and its consequent effects on wildlife, habitats and human settlements is the major area of concern, the community also sees plastic bags as a form of unnecessary consumption. Plastic bags pollution effects and solutions green living. Two field studies tested the effects of a charge for singleuse plastic bags recently implemented in buenos aires city, argentina. China, which banned many types of plastic bags in 2008, claims some successes. Rwanda and tanzania in mitigating the effects of plastic bag waste. Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well. What is singleuse plastic, and how does it harm the. So, i used clips and pictures from other people to create my video. Plastic bags create visual pollution problems and can have harmful effects on aquatic and terrestrial animals. In an 8year span, plastic bag use has dropped 12%, 1,300 tons of plastic bags have been collected annually by six separate grocery chains and there was a 20% decrease in plastic bags. Jul 14, 2015 the effects of plastic bags on the environment are really quite devastating.
Reducing plastic bag use in the uk and ireland dynamix. Supporters of these bans mostly claim that such policies promote environmental protection, when in reality they. They are a major constituent of the filth and garbage in our society. In conclusion, the plastic bags are a convenient method of packaging and transport for products but one that is hazardous to the environment, animals and marine wildlife as well as human beings. Plastic pollution is killing the oceans coral reefs. Every year, around 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. Exposure to harmful chemicals during manufacturing, leaching in the stored food items while using plastic packages or chewing of. The city of bellingham took a big step forward in reducing litter and unnecessary waste, protecting water and wildlife, and saving money by reducing the use of plastic bags in our community. Furthermore, some plastics are very thin, for example, plastic bags and films. Study the study reflected that while over 85% of the respondents were aware of the plastic usage ban and the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. Employment effects banning plastic bags reduces retail employment. Well, i have not bought a plastic trash bag in nearly ten years because i use my walmart plastic bags daily so i recycle plastic bags and i am sure others do. In the uk, each person uses around 220 plastic bags each year. An evaluation of the effects of californias proposed.
Thousands of plastic factories are producing tons of plastic bags which are very popularly used by the people for shopping purposes because of its ease, cheapness and convenience of use but their very hazardous negative impact is never highlighted or, at the very least, openly discussed in a more serious tone. Plastic bag littering is prevalent in urban settings. Plastic bags create visual pollution problems and can have harmful effects. Archived from the original pdf on 17 december 2008. Every one of us consumes per day, including at least three sacks and throws away the plastic bags without any guilt 18, and 25, and here the figure 3, shows the amount of plastic bags used for the sale of qat in yemen in. Furthermore, plastic bags block drains and release toxic. Environmental impacts the environmental impacts of plastic bag use include. Plastic pollution this module1 is intended for elementary or secondary education teachers interested in teaching their classroom about plastic pollution and for anyone interested in learning about the impacts of plastic pollution on our environment and society and actions we can take to diminish this problem. Impact of national bans and levies on plastic bag usage. Plus, the way to solve this kind of problem always begins with you. The economic effect of plastic bag bans plasticstoday.
Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because they are cheap, strong, lightweight. Research has indicated that some species or developmental stages are more vulnerable to ingestion of plastic waste and the toxic effects of the chemicals associated with it. While litter and its consequent effects on wildlife, habitats and human settlements is the major area of concern, the community also sees. In reality plastic bags dont figure in entanglement the main culprits are fishing gear, ropes, lines and strapping bands. For example, whales and sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for squid, and birds often mistake plastic pellets for fish eggs. The impact of plastic on marine species, including entanglement and. It can be shaped into any form or shape as desired. Plastic bags are nonbiodegradable, and are extremely hazardous to the environment. There is support within the community for action to reduce plastic bag use.