Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned Analysis

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.

In “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment,” Adam Summers attempts to persuade the American public to no than plastic bags. Using facts to reach people’s minds, freedom and rights to reach people’s hearts, and writing style to catch their attention and to have them on his side by being friendly. Firstly, he stated facts on multiple occasions. For example, in the forth paragraph, he mentions that grocery bags make up 0.3 percent of municipal solid waste material, which’s close to nothing compared to the other 999.97 percent of the waste.

After a bill that would ban plastic bags in California was shot down, Adam B. Summers, author of, “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment,” explains how plastic bags should not be banned. He uses statistics, ethos, logos and diction to support his claim. Summers uses these devices to create a stronger argument. Summers overall purpose of his passage was to express his view that plastic bags should not be banned and the effects banning or not banning them would have on the environment. By using statistics, Summers creates a more credible argument.

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.

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

I first had to develop my argument, and my main points in order to get the best information fit for this essay. Once I had all of my main points generated, finding the research was not difficult. Since plastic bags have been a controversial subject, there was a lot of scholarly articles that gave me the information needed for my main points of my paper. Determining research for my Media Analysis essay was much simpler. I knew I needed to find an advertisement or commercial that I could analyze with America’s culture today.

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

“Americans use more than 100 billion thin plastic bags every year.”(Pickert, 11). This number is extremely large and needs to be addressed, however, the alternative needs to be environmentally friendly. Reusable tote bags have been the answer in most Americans eyes, this is evident through grocery stores selling them and in certain cities requiring one to have to pay for plastic bags. Reusable bags can be made from a various variety of materials, but cotton is one of the most popular. “One study found that a cotton tote must be used at least 131 times to be better for than planet than plastic.”(Pickert,11).The reality is that these cotton tote bags usually do not get used that many times before they are thrown out. This is because the bags are made with very inexpensive materials . The argument is that because the bags are reusable means they're better which is not the case, because once it is time to thrown away the bag justs sit in landfills. “Production of tote bags commonly marketed as sustainable actually had an environmental impact many times larger than that of a standard plastic HDPE

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.

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.

For my project, I will refuse to use plastic bags and I will use reusable bags instead. I am aware of the harmful effects plastic bags have on the environment, specifically in the ocean, and I want to do my part to help reduce this harm. Whenever I go grocery shopping, or just shopping in general, I will bring my own reusable bags to the store and refuse any plastic bags if they are offered to me. I do not go shopping very often (maybe once every two weeks), but when I do, I will be sure to always have a reusable bag with me. I plan to start now and carry this project on as long as I can, but it will most likely only last for the semester, as once I go home I will probably not be grocery shopping for myself.