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. 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. Although, really, these tips can be used by anyone, not just kids. 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. The resulting number is staggering. The following are ten lines on why plastic bags need to be prohibited: 1) The careless disposal of trash in plastic bags leads to an increase in litter.2) The use of plastic bags contributes to the depletion of our natural resources, including water, trees, and agricultural products.3) Because of the danger it causes to marine life, the total Ideally, to be suitable for recycling, bags need to be clean to be accepted, which is often a problem, considering that we use them to carry groceries and potentially leaky goods. Criddle isdirector of StanfordsCodiga Resource Recovery Center,a member ofStanford Bio-Xand an affiliate of thePrecourt Institute for Energy. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. 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. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. We dont know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators. As a result, the ban will reduce the number of plastic straws polluting the ocean. If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! CRAIG CRIDDLE: In addition to recycling more and reusing materials more, we need new materials that can do the same jobs as current plastics, but are biodegradable, nontoxic and do not concentrate in food chains. Why? Plastic waste, mostly broken down into tiny particles, floats in huge blobs amid ocean current patterns called gyres that together cover as much as 40 percent of Earths ocean surface. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. As communities act to ban single-use plastics and individual consumers raise concerns, bigger actors pay attention. Instead of searching for another buyer, maybe some soul-searching is in order. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. Cause of environmental pollution 2. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature. "To us, it was the 'gateway plastic' to the larger, more . There are definitely differing opinions on whether or not plastic straws should be banned. Recently, however, plastic straws have been the subject of many plastic bans in an attempt to help the environment. This amount of marine life, which includes fish and turtles, is sufficient to fill 125 school buses. If plastic straws are completely banned, local small businesses like boba tea shops will have to look for pricier alternatives. We are working hard to improve our content. Therefore, a plastic straw ban by itself is unlikely to be very effective in actually helping the environment, although it could act as a gateway into the reduction of other single-use plastics. 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. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? The first is to invest in better waste collection in the handful of countries that account for most of the plastic flowing into the ocean. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. In effect, nature has designed this plastic for disassembly. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. 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. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. For many in the disabled community, the availability of plastic straws is essential for their well-being and survival. The manufacturing of reusable bags or compostable alternatives to plastic bags offers a new opportunity to create sustainable products and provide jobs that go with them. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. 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. Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area . 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. No! An Oregon community is making spectacular statues out of ocean plastic to raise awareness about a crisis at sea. Additionally, someone has to pay the cost of dealing with plastic bags in the waste stream. Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? JIM LEAPE: Our oceans are currently swimming with plastics. Better alternatives are available 10. Most of it is either dumped in landfills or ends up in the ocean. 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The explanation is quite simple. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isnt recycled at all. At the beginning of July 2018, Seattle became the largest U.S. city to ban plastic straws. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. (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. Each year on two far-flung Australian islands, more than half a million hermit crabs die after becoming trapped inside our plastic waste. What about you? Yes, it should. Plastic straws have an especially high propensity to end up in our rivers after being thrown away. Also, giving a speech in . By comparison, an estimated 46 percent of all pollution in the ocean is made up of lost or abandoned fishing gear (Vox). Growing public concern has inspired movements to ban single-use plastics, most notably straws. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. 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. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) 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. Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye. Starting in the 1960s, plastic straw manufacturing took off. 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). 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. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. Many of you may have heard it already. 1. We should also try to give up plastic straws if we are capable of doing so. These examples could go on for a long time. Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping. Companies are trying to sell communities on a toxic solution to the plastic pollution crisis. (Everything You Need To Know). Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. Read more about us. Not easy to recycle 7. 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. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. Made from fossil fuels 3. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces. Participate in beach or river cleanups. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. You can share this article on social media by using the share buttons below. update email soon. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. In fact, plastic straws only make up around 0.03 percent of total plastic waste by mass. 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. Overall, the main reason for a plastic straw ban is to help the environment by preventing plastic straws pollution. In fact, plastic bags are considered by many recycling facilities the number one contaminant and their removal from the recycling stream costs municipalities close to $1 million a year [18]. One of the most significant negative effects that plastic bags have on the natural world is that it takes a very long time for them to degrade.In addition, the breakdown of plastic bags in the sun results in the release of hazardous compounds into the surrounding soil, and the combustion of plastic bags results in the release of a poisonous material into the surrounding air, contributing to the problem of ambient air pollution. We should do likewise. 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. Each day, the United States of America uses 500 million drinking straws. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). Dont re-wash something if you can wear it again. However, if a plastic straw ban is properly implemented with education about single-use plastics, then the ban could encourage the public to reduce their usage of other single-use plastics as well. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. If environmental zealots and sycophants get their way, you won't be allowed to sip it through a plastic straw. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. 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. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. 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.