Analysis Of Beats Plastic And Its Effects On Our Natural Environment

Opting for paper instead of plastic when one is able can be a great start. All over the world more places are gradually shifting to paper bags and banning plastic ones. California being one of the first states to recognize a plastic bag ban has the potential for lasting impacts given that in the Los Angeles area alone, 10 metric tons of plastic fragments are carried into the Pacific Ocean every day (Harth Richard). As more studies are being conducted and more information is being made public about the detrimental effects humanities over-consumption of plastic is having, some scientists are making attempts to make plastic safer and more sustainable. Some innovators are developing bioplastics, which are made from plant crops instead of fossil fuels. Others are working to make plastic truly biodegradable and some are looking for ways to make recycling more efficient (The History and the Future of

The author proves the falsehood of the long known assumption that plastic is a threat to our planet. By citing the research done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the author convinces his readers that not only are plastic bags not harmful as people think, but also beneficial. This surprises his audience and shows them how exaggerated the cries of environmentalists, which gets the readers wondering what else have they falsely believed in and what other information are paper-bags advocates hiding from them, and that pulls them into the argument and intrigues them further. Additionally, Summers lists the harmful consequences of using reusable bags by presenting research results and observations. This alarms the audience and raises concern in their

Each year there is an increase in demands for plastic bags, and therefore more are shipped, creating further environmental pollution concerns. This increase in demand has lead to the phenomenal upsurge in the use and misuse of plastic bags globally, both in developed and developing countries. Statistics show that 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags are produced per annum, whereby North America and Western Europe account for nearly 80% (Geographical, 2005; Reusable Bags, 2005). Cheeseman (2007) states that approximately “380 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the United States annually”; in turn, only 0.6% of this is recycled.

According to ecowatch.com, all the plastic humans added up thrown away added up can circle the Earth four times. This is around 500 billion plastic bags, and most of them end up on landfill sites. The plastic bags in landfills usually lay there for over 300 years until they are completely photodegraded, or decomposed by the light, especially sunlight. During the process of being photodegraded, the plastic bags break down into small toxic particles that are either released into the air, or into the soil. These small toxic particles contaminate many different things such as soil and waterways. Since it is in the soil and waterways, animals often come and end up eating these dangerous toxic particles. Some supermarkets use biodegradable bags that are said to be “environment friendly,” but that is a total lie. According to an article about plastic bag pollution by Sharon Jacobsen, it says, “...the truth is that the process of breaking down these petrol based bags causes carbon to become methane which is a greenhouse gas.” Greenhouse gases are very dangerous to the environment since it causes temperature increase around the whole entire globe. Therefore, in conclusion, neither plastic bags or so-called “environment friendly” bags are good for the environment all around us, and we should not use them. Instead, we should use reusable

The claims that plastic bags are worse for the environment over reusable bags are deceitful. Compared to paper bags, plastic grocery bags produce fewer greenhouse gases, require 70 percent less energy to make, generate 80 percent, less waste, and utilize less than 4 percent of the amount of water needed to make them. The reason for this is because plastic bags are lighter and take up less space. Another reason reusable bags aren't as useful is because they are more prone to food contamination if not washed properly. A study found that San Francisco’s plastic bag ban in 2007 resulted in more visits to the hospital from patients suffering E. coli, salmonella, and other infectious diseases from

Australians approximately use 6.9 billion plastic bags per year (Errata Nolan ITU, 2002). The high consumption of plastic bags highlights one outstanding issue. The adverse impact, consumption and disposal of plastic bags have towards the environment. This involves the resources used to make

The benefit of recycling on the environment is endless even if you are just recycling paper products it can be beneficial. According to a website on recycling paper and other products recycling a single run of the Sunday “New York Times” would save seventy five thousand trees. The amount of wasted land that is left behind by those seventy thousand trees. could have been a strong environment that was destroyed just for a single run of the “New York Times”. According to the same source recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. This energy used to burn the plastic is payed by the American people’s tax dollar that money could be saved by you just by simpling recycling. In the same source it says that approximately one billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the United States this paper thrown away is sent to these giant landfills and cost millions of dollars to dispose of as where if it was recycled we could save money by not having to pay for the paper sent to landfill and save money by not having to have it burned down or stored. The average American uses eighty five million tons of paper a year; about six hundred and eighty pounds per person according to the source earlier

As you make your way through the check-out line, you began to pay for the items you just purchased. The cashier looks up at you to ask if you want to use paper or plastic bags. You look up not knowing what to say so you immediately pick one without thinking about it. You decided to go with the plastic bags for no reason. Those plastic bags will have two destinations: the garbage or put into another bigger bag for a long period of time to be used as smaller garbage bags. On the other hand paper bags could not only hold more items than plastic bags but they have more uses for them. They could be used to cover textbooks, to start a bon fire, make various storage baskets, as paper to write on when you can’t find anything else, to carry garbage

As the United States deals with the overwhelming amounts of waste building up, Nitin et al explain that “plastics take anywhere from 15 to 1000 years to biodegrade” once they are discarded (Nitin). Changes in recycling methods can no longer keep up with the exorbitant amount of waste produced in the United States. This is why some states choose to take their initiative one step further by placing either fees or a ban on the use of plastic bags. Due to the enormous waste the United States produces on a daily basis and the negative outcomes of this trash including adverse health effects, harmful impacts on nature, and the exponential piling of trash in landfills, the US government should ban plastic bags.

This research question aims to think deeper on the circumstances of the overuse of plastic and paper, and what could happen more to the animals/birds, our environment, and our bodies if consumers keep on using plastic and paper products. This research question should be asked to raise awareness to users and most importantly designers, so they consider using other eco friendly material in designing their products.

plastic bags are one of the main issues in our country. These plastic bags are left behind after use, which can lead into these bags going into our oceans. It is important to focus on these issues because millions of sea animals die from consuming the bags that are left behind in their ocean home. I will be focusing on state law for possible solution to this problem. A policy solution to the problem would be to start charging 35 cents for paper bags instead of plastic bags. Paper bags with be a little more expensive but will motivate people to recycle and will promote dependence from plastic bags. This could be implemented by fully removing these plastic bags, that way we can make it harder to use plastic bags. By doing this through state law only it will start to change slowly in states.  My solution is the best because this way we have our oceans clean for our animals and for people to enjoy the waters on the beach. This will help us save animals as well people should be able to use reusable bags, even though paper bags might not be as “green” as we want to be it does help by reusing them. This will then enforce others to stop using plastic and switch to paper. Plastic bags take years to decompose into the earth, it is just too long to wait and so they just lay around on our earth, which cause harm. Taking your own bags that are reusable are better because you just use them repeatedly, they do not rip like plastic bags, and then you just end up throwing the plastic bags

Within the past several years, many people have had heated debates on the topic of what will make this planet greener and more environmentally friendly. Pollution is one of the leading anthropogenic - originating from human activity - causes, and it has been affecting the planet since the time of Ancient Rome. When people discuss pollution many automatically think of plastic, whether that be in lands, waterways, or the ocean, it has the ability to create interruptions in the environment. Because of this controversial topic, it all leads to the long debated question, paper or plastic? People are asked this question everyday, usually towards food shoppers, and it’s the average person's job to make an environmentally conscious decision upon which most are not educationally aware enough to do so. Although many have decided that paper versus plastic war has a simple solution, there are a majority of things that need to be taken into consideration from both sides in order to make the best educated and environmentally sound choice. Many people have been arguing over the paper or plastic debate to decide how and which resource is more cost efficient and does the least amount of damage. Overall, there are many factors that must be put into thought when having to decide on which type of material is considered better for the environment.

Plastic bags cause a massive amount of pollution to the earth. It lets out lots of CO2 into the air with the production of it. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that if let out too much at one time can hurt the planet. Not only do plastic bags produce pollution while being made, but also when they are decomposing. Plastic bags go on to last for up to 10-1000 years. That is possibly 1000 years that a plastic bag goes on to add the huge amount of trash in the world. Although plastic bags take so long to decompose they do eventually break down. Exposure to a lot of sunlight and wind will also speed up the process of the decomposition of plastic bags. The breaking down of plastic bags seems like a good thing, however it is the complete opposite. Plastic bags are broken down into microscopic particles that are toxic. Those toxic particles then go on to hurt the environment. An articles states, “They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.”. This goes to show that those

The resources and things that go into making plastic bags can be used for other important things.

When the plastic does finally break down into smaller pieces it releases chemicals into the soil, causing it to become inhibiting. However the damage isn 't just to the environment but economic as well. “San Jose, Calif., reports that it costs about $1 million a year to repair recycling equipment jammed with plastic bags. San Francisco estimates that to clean up, recycle and landfill plastic bags costs as much as 17 cents a bag, or approximately $8.5 million a year” (Daniella). There is a large cost that goes into the clean up of plastic bag waste; by limiting the use of plastic bags, we can decrease this cost. Other counties are even seeing the plastic bag waste as a danger. “Elsewhere in the world, Bangladesh banned plastic bags because they clog storm-drain systems and cause major flooding, which in turn has significant economic cost” (Daniella). Again, cost is a major factor here as well as people 's safety. Looking at how this could affect the future, there could eventually be serious dangers from how we take care of the waste now.