Research Paper On Plastic Bags

Answering this question, Adams B. Summers asserts that despite public knowledge, plastic bags are not, in fact, harmful and dangerous and shouldn't be banned. He conveys this through citing facts and research analysis, appealing to audience's logic, and utilizing word choice and vivid language.

Many of these issues however, can be addressed and even resolved in several ways. Nowadays, a number of countries have begun to impose taxes on plastic bag consumption, with few even banning the use of plastic

He sites from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “plastic bags, sacks, and wraps of all kinds (not just grocery bags) make up only about 1.6 percent of all municipal solid waste materials. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags, which are the most common kind of plastic grocery bags make up just 0.3 percent of this total.” From this statistic, plastic bags are not using a lot of waste that the average person would assume. Also, most users of plastic bags

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.

According to United Nations Environment Programme, there are approximately 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of the ocean! I strongly think that plastic bags should be banned in the whole entire United States. Not only would it encourage people to use reusable bags, it will save many animals, and will prevent toxins from entering into the air.

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.

Plastic bags begin as crude oil, natural gases, or other petrochemical derivatives. By some estimates almost 12 million barrels of petroleum oil are used to make 100 billion plastic bags. One solution is to stop using plastic bags. Plastic bag bans are spreading across the country with over 100 community bag bans across 16 states. Hawaii right now is the only state in the nation to adopt a full statewide ban. Internationally,19 countries from Bangladesh to Ireland have passed bans. Reducing plastic bag usage and shoppers to use reusable bags will help decrease our demand for a new fossil fuel and reduce our environmental impact. As a nation we need to begin to move away from the concepts of single use and waste. Plastic is made from oil.

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

To many, plastic bags are seen as malevolent and criminal, and heavy campaigns have been pushed into our communities to ban the use of them and enforce those beliefs, but in actuality, plastic bags aren’t as horrible as we make them out to be for

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 disturb the environment in a very serious way. The plastic bags get into the soil and as time passes they slowly release toxic chemicals. Eventually the plastic bags break down into the soil and the unfortunate consequence is that the animals will eat the plastic, choke on it and then die!

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.

Along with carrying groceries, plastic bags carry environmental problems; banning them is necessary. Plastic bags that are less than 50 microns thick (excluding plastic bags used for hygienic reasons) should be banned. First of all, plastic bags contribute to pollution an extortionate amount. In fact, over 40,000 plastic bags were found at Canadian shorelines in the past year. This number could be heavily reduced if plastic bags were banned. Plastic bags have been found in tree lines and can clog up sewers and cause flooding. If plastic bags weren’t so readily available, they wouldn’t be littering streets and getting caught up in trees. Plastic bag pollution is definitely not limited to land. All over the world, plastic bags have ended up in oceans, lakes, and rivers. Fish are meant for oceans, yet studies show that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Canadian plastic bags have been found all the way in Scotland. This means Canada’s plastic bag problem is not limited to its territorial boundaries. Plastic bag pollution is very high because of the amount of plastic bags Canadians use. Canadians use 15 billion plastic bags a year, enough to circle the earth over 55 times! Because Canadians use so many plastic bags and don't recycle them, pollution has become a greater problem.

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

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.