Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. 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. 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. What about you? 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 . But single-use plastics come with a steep environmental priceone that well be paying off for millennia. We are working hard to improve our content. the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution, Impact of Plastic Bags on the Environment, non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources, Plastic Bag Degradation: What You Should Know, Serious Effects of Plastic Pollution on Human Health. Post date: 18 yesterday. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back. What to do with plastic bags you already have at home? The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. It is good for our environment, health and global climate. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. Items made of plastic that come into contact with food can be recycled, whereas products made of paper that absorb both food and garbage cannot. Why Plastic Straws Are Being Banned - Square Without further due, here are the top 3 ways kids can help, Read More 3 Ways Kids can Help the EarthContinue, What Are Microplastics? Increased awareness about the negative effects of single-use plastics would help the environment a lot more than just a simple plastic straw ban. Plastics bags are not so much necessary that man cannot live without it. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. 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]. Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. 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. Due to its chemistry, nothing in nature can make plastic biodegrade. We use them to drink beverages at home and we get them at almost every restaurant. How Plastic Bottles Become Death Traps for Hermit Crabs. To date, around 60 countries and municipalities around the world have instituted plastic bag bans, and additional seven countries are planning to enforce the law in the closest future. At the beginning of July 2018, Seattle became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic straws. 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Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. 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. 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. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs. FNB News - Choose the right straw | FNB News Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. 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. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. According to the researchers, the turtle likely mistook the straw for food and swallowed it. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent. Straws are said to be one of the top 10 objects recovered during beach clean-ups by the Ocean Conservancy. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. 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. Made from fossil fuels 3. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. 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. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. 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. As part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace volunteers conducted an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines, sifting through tens of thousands of individual pieces across 42 countries to identify the pollutions sources. 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. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. Plastic Straws: Is Paper Really Better for the Environment? PLASTIC STRAWS CANT BE BROKEN DOWN BY NATURE. Cause of environmental pollution 2. We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. Killing wildlife 5. 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. . New and sustainable business models are needed to address the current plastic deluge and also to enable a new generation of sustainable materials and technologies. A 2018 study of coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific has confirmed that plastic waste deposited on coral reefs promotes outbreaks of diseases that gradually destroy whole reef colonies [12]. So that free plastic bag isnt so free after all. Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. 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. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably 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? You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. These are known to be hormone-disrupting chemicals. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. The upshot of the Sydney study is that the California bag ban reduced plastic bag consumption by 71.5% - a huge decrease. 1. plastic straws litter our environment Every day, about 3-6 billion plastic straws are produced. All rights reserved. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. 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. Since their birth, baby turtles have only one goal to get to the sea and swim into deep waters where they will feed and if successful grow into adult turtles. On average, taxpayers end up paying about $88 per year just on plastic bag waste [15]. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. As a result, the ban will reduce the number of plastic straws polluting the ocean. If plastic straws are completely banned, local small businesses like boba tea shops will have to look for pricier alternatives. Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. 2023 Get Green Now. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? However, one thing we know, is that by introducing a pollutant that may never break down in the environment can have implications that will far exceed any of our predictions. 13.07.2022 Harry Brown THE TOP 10 REASONS TO DO NOT USE THE STRAW O This requires the usage of 500 million straws Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful Every day in the United States. Why Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? - Nationwide Plastics 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. 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. Please share this message with your friends so that together, we can tackle our global plastic problem. McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Is the Tide Turning on Our Plastic Addiction? Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. As for reusable straws, they arent flexible as plastic ones and can be easily forgotten at home. Criddle and Leape are also senior fellows at theStanford Woods Institute for the Environment. 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. There are numerous reasons why PLA straws are not the right substitute for plastic straws . The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world. Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. Es gratis registrarse y presentar tus propuestas laborales. 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. 1. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. PDF Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. Because of this, the plants and wildlife in the area have a potential risk of absorbing the microplastics through their diets and drinking water. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . 2. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. Reasons why smoking should be banned articlestrabajos Additionally, awareness raising campaigns create a social pressure that should inspire local government and institutions to help in making changes at a bigger scale, like a regional ban or levy. We should also try to give up plastic straws if we are capable of doing so. Plastic is more sanitary and safer to use than other alternatives. Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment. 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. Driven by public pressure, governments and corporations are considering eliminating or phasing out single-use plastics such as straws. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. Actress Nina Nelson and other celebrities made a video claiming that plastic. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. Martin Grimm/Picture-alliance via Associated Press. There are definitely differing opinions on whether or not plastic straws should be banned. Greentumble was founded in the summer of 2015 by us, Sara and Ovi. 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. According to the findings of a study that was carried out in 2019 by students at the University of Washington, 78 percent of respondents used straws made of biodegradable materials that are in compliance with the prohibition, and 68 percent used utensils that are in compliance with the ban. 12 Reasons for Banning Plastic Bags: Plastic Bags Are Made With Non-Renewable Energy Plastic Bags Use Up Lots Of Energy Plastic Bags End Up In The Ocean Beach Plastic Litter Is On The Rise Plastic Bags Kill Millions Of Animals Every Year Plastic Takes A Long Time To Disintegrate Plastic Is Harming The Ocean's Coral Plastic Bags Contain Toxins Communities and consumers can play vital roles in sparking action. Well, lets have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now. Sadly, one of their newly acquired enemies is created by us who should protect them instead. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. 2. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? | Persuasive Writing | Scholastic 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. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, Plastics also permeate freshwater systems like rivers and streams. Alternatives to plastic straws, such as paper, may not always be effective for disabled people: paper can be bitten through or broken easily. 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. 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. Help us break the cycle of causing unnecessary harm and damage in the name of "convenience". Buy in bulk. (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.