PLASTIC BAGS: What Are They and Do We Need Them?

PLASTIC BAGS: What are they and do we need them? 1 Plastic Bags When you buy something at the store, do you get a bag for your items? Does the clerk ask if you want a bag? Do you hear, “paper or plastic?” Do you think there is a difference between getting a paper or plastic bag? Cities are banning plastic grocery bags for many reasons: ∙ Plastic bags more easily become litter, ∙ Single-use plastic can be avoided, ∙ Plastic bags do not easily biodegrade (break down), or ∙ Plastic bags can be bad for the environment. But some people argue: ∙ Plastic bags save trees, ∙ Plastic bags are cheaper for businesses, ∙ Plastic bags can be reused, or ∙ Plastic bags can be recycled. We do know that many plastic bags end up as litter, and most plastic isn’t recycled but downcycled, where the plastic is made into another product like polar fleece or fake wood for decks or park benches. Most of these products can’t be recycled. Plastic is one of the materials we use that takes a very long time to biodegrade; even though we might not be able to see it anymore, very tiny pieces of plastic still exist because it takes so many hun- dreds of years to biodegrade, and while it’s degrading, it does give off chemicals than can hurt people or animals. But will a plastic bag ban really help? Will we just buy plastic garbage bags or start using paper bags instead? Will that mean cutting down more trees? Study this document, weight the pros and cons, talk it over with your classmates, parents and business owners you know, and decide for yourself. 2 What are plastic bags? Most plastic grocery bags are made of polyethylene, which is derived from natural gas and petroleum. Natural gas and petroleum are not renewable resources, meaning we cannot make more once we run out. There are some bags made from plant materials or degradable polyethylene film, but most stores that recycle plastic bags do not use plant or degradable bags. Since they aren’t the same plastic, they cause problems if they get put in with other plastic bags for recycling. Additionally, because our trash goes to a landfill, which is sealed to prevent natural biodegreda- tion, plant or degradable bags would not break down. Most trash we throw out – like old food, paper and aluminum cans – eventually turns back into dirt because water, bugs and bacteria break it down for us. Plastic is different. The plastic pieces get smaller and smaller, but are never anything but plastic. And as they get smaller, they get easier for wildlife – and us – to eat and drink. In small doses, the plastic might not be harmful, but depending on the type and the amount, plastic litter can do real damage. Plastic does break down best in sunlight, and even better in water (although not very quickly: In Bangladesh, a ban was considered after plastic bags were blamed for two floods when they blocked drains). Unfortunately, as our plastic trash gets washed into our waterways and eventually to the ocean, and breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, animals start intentionally mistaking it for food. Some birds feed plastic pellets to their chicks instead of real food, and floating plastic bags can look just like jellyfish to sea turtles and other marine animals. The plastic in our oceans also tends to attract other plastic, making huge islands of plastic, breaking into smaller pieces, and attracting oil and other contaminants, causing a toxic buildup. 3 Why do we use plastic? Until about 30 years ago, most items in the store were packaged in glass or tin cans. But because plastic is so much cheaper to make, lighter to ship and harder to break, it’s quickly become our answer for everything. Stores can charge less for items, they experience less waste from things breaking, customers get lower prices, and jars that don’t break if they drop them! Plastic bags are cheaper for stores too. They save trees, and because they’re lighter and take up less space, stores don’t need to devote so much space to bags of different sizes. And if we can recycle our plastic, shouldn’t that be the answer? Here’s the problem: Glass, tin, steel and aluminum can be recycled over and over indefinitely. Plastic can’t. Sometimes plastic gets This photo by Chris Jordan of an albatross chick, who died because its mother did not know the difference between plastic and food, brought to light the huge problem small pieces of plastic make for wildlife. 4 made back into a soda bottle or plastic bag, but a lot of times, we have to find things to make the plastic pellets into, like polar fleece or decking. This is called downcycling. Remember how light plastic is? Many times, even when we try to do the right thing, and throw plastic bags away, they fly out of our trash cans, recycling bins, or the trash/recycling truck. And because we ship most of our plastic to China for recycling, it has even more opportunity to blow away, especially into the ocean. So what can we do? Many people already bring their own bags to the grocery store. One thing to always remember is reusable grocery bags should be washable. Remember how you have to wash your fruit before you eat it and wash your hands if you handle meat? The same goes for your bags. And this is important to remember if you reuse your plastic bags for something other than trash! Many “reusable” bags sold in stores aren’t well suited for grocery shopping because they can’t be washed. Only use washable bags for food. The bag on the left is still a plastic bag. 5 For places that want to reduce their use of plastic bags overall, there are generally three options: ∙ Ban, ∙ Tax/Fee, or ∙ Education. A ban means no plastic bags are allowed at store checkouts in a city or county. A tax or fee means business owners have to charge for bags. Education means the city or businesses owners have to do more to educate consumers about the problems associated with plastic bags. A ban takes care of most of the plastic bags used and the litter caused. However, it can be a problem for business owners if they don’t have an alternative. Many people also say they reuse their plastic bags for lining their trash cans or picking up after their pets. They say they will just have to buy other plastic bags. While some people do reuse and/or recycle their plastic bags, most are used once and then thrown away. In America, we use about 300 million plastic bags per day! And because these bags do have a cost to the environment, is paying for them really a bad idea? A tax or fee takes into account the environmental impact of a plastic bag. Charging a fee makes people stop and think, Is paper better? If bags have an do I really need a bag? If they environmental impact, don’t have to pay for something, should we pay for them? 5 6 they are more likely to take something they are just going to throw away later. Think of the “free gifts” your family gets, and how many of them end up in the trash (and how many of them are plastic!). If we are charged for something, we are more likely to place value on it, and reuse it. In some places where a tax or fee has been imposed, the use of plastic shopping bags has indeed decreased dramatically, but detractors say people are just buying other types of bags. Indeed, plastic shopping bags have only been available since the 1980s. What did people do before? Sometimes, a ban and a fee are used together, like in the follow- ing Real-World Example where a ban is placed on plastic bags, but businesses are allowed to offer paper bags for a fee. Many people don’t like this idea because they feel this is just switching from plastic to paper, when the idea should be to en- courage shoppers to bring their own bags. Supporters of this idea say it helps businesses make a transition to no bags, gives shoppers a more sustainable alternative, and keeps everyone happy. Some businesses are taking matters into their own hands by insti- tuting their own policies. Of course, not giving a bag is cheaper for the business, so some businesses have their clerks ask, “Would you like a bag?” Just asking customers, instead of automatically giving them a bag, reduces the number of bags that go out the door. Ed- ucation goes a step beyond these policies to actively tell shoppers what the bags are doing to the landscape once they’re done carry- ing your groceries. Real-World Example Right now, the city of Truckee, Calif., is trying to reduce their use of plastic bags, so they are looking at this decision right now. 7 In January 2013, the Truckee town council announced it was considering a proposal to ban plastic bags at store checkouts, but businesses could offer paper bags for a fee. A lot of times, fees like this go to recycling or education efforts, but the Truckee proposal would let the businesses keep the money from the bags to help them make the transition to going plastic-bag free. The town also surveyed the community and local businesses to find out what they thought of the possible ban.

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