Plastic Bags Should Be Substitued By a More Environmentally-Friendly Product

Plastic bags are utilized daily in supermarkets, restaurants, and stores. These bags are wreaking havoc in our country since California started using them. Not only banning bags will help California, but it would benefit the whole world if everybody stops using them. Plastic bags are one of the most dangerous substances in our environment. It seems silly that plastic bags could do so much harm, but these bags contribute to environmental issues in several ways. There is more work that needs to be done in order to further society in line with sustainable concepts that would not only serve to reduce waste but also to protect the extant environment. Human beings invented plastic bags for the convenience of carriers and packers. However, just as other great inventions, like, nuclear energy and biotechnology, plastic bags are causing significant issues like global warming, environment complications ,and economic benefits.

“Bag2bag” program is the most important one among them. Kroger reused more than 1billion pounds of corrugated cardboard in 2007. It resulted in a 14 percent increment over the previous year. In majority of the stores plastic bags, dry-cleaning bags and plastic shrink-wrap can now be reused via Kroger’s recycling program. 9.1 million pounds of plastic recycled from the stores and distribution centers as a result of this program. The grocery bags used in many retail departments contain 25% reused content as a direct consequence of “Bag2bag” program. (Kroger Sustainability Report,

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.

Due to the proximal ban of plastic bags in California, Adam B. Summers argues the reasons why they should not be banned in his article, “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment”. In order to build his argument, Summers includes an effective use of factual data and evidence, relating to the audience, and appealing to the audience’s emotion.

The author Adam B. Summers states in his article "Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment" that plastic grocery bags are not that bad for the environment as we thought, but will infringe citizens' basic right. He effectively builds his argument by using comparison and reliable statistics.

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

Plastic bags are made from a low quality type of plastic. After they are used they are shipped to Asia for recycling since the environmental standards are lower there. When your plastic salad container is recycled, in reality it may only be repurposed a few times, then it is landfill bound.

As I stated, plastic bags harm the environment tremendously and we should do anything we can to decrease its usage. The opposing side may say that alternatives I have given such as reusable bags, provide additional harm to the environment than plastic bags because of they are produced. However, the effect of plastic bags massively outweighs that of reusable bags because reusable bags are being utilized consistently and they’re not thrown out so they aren’t harming any animals. Plastic bags are mostly being thrown out, and that harms the environment way more. To provide evidence on the significant aid the plastic bag ban or fee has brought, the Upfront magazine article “Should There Be a Fee on Plastic Bags?” indicates , “It’s hard to believe that a small charge could have such a big impact on protecting our environment. But according to research, the fee has already proven its effectiveness in reducing plastic or paper bag use in..Washington D.C, Los Angeles, Germany and England. Some experts predict that a 5-cent fee will lead to a 60-90 percent reduction in the use of plastic bags in NYC.” This piece of evidence brings awareness to the massive assistance plastic bag fees have brought and will continue to bring to the US and potentially the entire world. The fee has made a

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.

In the article “Bag ban bad for freedom and environment”, the author Adam B. Summers argues against an undecided law that limits people to use plastic bags in California, pointing out that plastic bags have more advantages than disadvantages. Adam utilizes reliable data and examples to backup his claims, in which he successfully adopting his conclusion by appealing to logos and other rhetorical strategies.

Plastic bags are everywhere. We see them anywhere from the town grocery market to the convenience store down the street. Admittedly, plastic bags are very convenient. They are a cheap, hygienic way to transport one’s purchases. However, once they get home, there is not much use for the piece of plastic. Sure, some reuse them

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

Introduction: Have you ever wanted to help the environment, but you just didn’t know how? When we go shopping we see a lot of people carrying bags made of plastic. I must admit; plastic bags can be very convenient at times, but the use of plastic bags has it disadvantages. If you knew about the dangers of the use of plastic bags, then I'm sure you will think twice about using plastic bags and use tote bags instead.

Five hundred billion used globally and one hundred billion of them end up in U.S. landfills, taking about one thousand years to decompose, but only 5.2 percent were recycled (Borrud, 2007, p.75).-These are the figures plastic bags have produced every year. Human beings invented plastic bags for the convenience of carriers and packers. However, just as other great inventions, say, nuclear energy and biotechnology, plastic bags are causing serious issues like global warming, environment pollution and energy consumption. They are gradually becoming sword towards ourselves. In responding to this problem, the city of San Francisco has become the trail blazer to prohibit non-biodegradable plastic bags in its large supermarkets and pharmacies.