Straws made of paper are neither recyclable nor capable of decomposition. Consumer outrage about the plastics crisis is already commanding attention from big companies and from many governments. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. 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. 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. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. We all are just trying to do our job well. The decrease in demand for plastic bags forces manufacturers to reduce their production and consider expanding in a supply of alternative products. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. Not easy to recycle 7. (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. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. It has been projected that, if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish. 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. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. 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. But, are paper straws really better for the environment? If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers? 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. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. The upshot of the Sydney study is that the California bag ban reduced plastic bag consumption by 71.5% - a huge decrease. For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. All rights reserved. Why is plastic bad for the environment? Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. The problem with plastic straws is that they are one of the biggest causes of unnecessary plastic pollution. So, for example, companies need to not only make products that are recyclable, but actually make them out of recycled or truly biodegradable material. 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. 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. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". 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. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. The most common are inorganic dyes that are added to change the color of plastic bags. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. Plastic straws are not the first iteration of straws. 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. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. State Disclosures. In the United States alone, statistics reach up to 12 million barrels of oil that are used each year to produce even more plastic bags 100 billion more, to give you the precise number [5]. Plastic straws shouldn't be banned - The Rubicon But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. These tiny plastic particles have been found in our oceans, soil, and even in the air. TOP 10 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned BEST and NEWEST The answer isnt as simple as you may think: While its true that paper straws arent as harmful as plastic straws, this doesnt mean that, Read More Paper vs. It is predicted that each year 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, with 1.152.41 tons of that plastic being carried there by major rivers all over the world. 2. Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage. 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. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. A Ban Could Harm Local Businesses If 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | IUCN Water An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. It is estimated that there are now 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. The truth is that we do not know yet the full scale of negative impacts plastic waste can have on marine and terrestrial environments because it hasnt been around long enough to allow us to assess possible scenarios of its influence on natural cycles. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. 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. As plastic bags are not disposed properly . All Rights Reserved. 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. Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic' Advocates hope a straw ban will be the first step toward broader plastic prohibitions. | | NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass says yes and debunks the skeptics claim that in trying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, were only creating more troubles. Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. 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. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. What about you? Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. Please share this message with your friends so that together, we can tackle our global plastic problem. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. A laboratory photograph of microplastics found in the Corsica River in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Maryland, An albatross found dead with a belly full of plastic on Midway Atoll. TIME for Kids | Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? Ms. LISA PAI . We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. 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. Plastic, in general, is one of the biggest pollutants in the world. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems facing our world today. About half the cost of making biodegradable polymers is the cost of feedstock. Problematic degradation 4. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Sugar and oils are too expensive. Without further due, here are the top 3 ways kids can help, Read More 3 Ways Kids can Help the EarthContinue, What Are Microplastics? These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. An outright ban on plastic straws would create an accessibility problem for disabled people while dining in public. This form of ban could lead to a reduction in landfill across the country, going a long way to protect the nature and serenity of the area. 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). 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.