Plastic waste, mostly broken down into tiny particles, floats in huge blobs amid ocean current patterns called gyres that together cover as much as 40 percent of Earth's ocean surface. 6461 garfield street hollywood, fl. But should plastic straws really be banned? Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. Why are Plastic Straws Bad and What are the Alernatives? Gas, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. Plastic waste, mostly broken down into tiny particles, floats in huge blobs amid ocean current patterns called gyres that together cover as much as 40 percent of Earths ocean surface. That's a whole 900 tons of plastic waste produced every day, and that's just for plastic straws! Tweet, call, or send letters to these companies to ask them to switch to more durable, recyclable, compostable, renewable, and/or recycled-content packaging with less fossil fuelderived plastic. For example, some disabled people may not be able to properly hold or pick up a cup, so they need to use straws to drink properly. Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site may be referral or affiliate links. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. CRAIG CRIDDLE: In addition to recycling more and reusing materials more, we need new materials that can do the same jobs as current plastics, but are biodegradable, nontoxic and do not concentrate in food chains. Many people with disabilities rely on flexible straws to drink safely and independently. 2. Overall, the goal of a plastic straw ban should be to increase public awareness for single-use plastics and their nasty effects on the environment. LEAPE:Microplastics pervade the oceans. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. Why Plastic Straws Are Being Banned - Square The process of drilling for plastics source materials, oil and gas, leads to methane leaking and flaring and is often combined with clearing forests and wetlands that otherwise would have sequestered carbon. In Germany alone, we use 40 billion plastic straws every year. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. Search for jobs related to Reasons why smoking should be banned articles or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. By comparison, an estimated 46 percent of all pollution in the ocean is made up of lost or abandoned fishing gear (Vox). (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. We shouldnt ban plastic straws if it creates an accessibility issue. According to market research firms, Americans use about 350 million plastic straws every single day. female pomeranian temperament; splinterlands terms and conditions; carbon emissions data by company; ( ) + . Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go. What about you? They're bad for the environment, kill marine life and damage human health. Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. What never leaves, Read More Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine EcosystemsContinue, Top 3 Ways Kids can Help the Earth! And cracker plantswhich break, or crack, ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic productsare energy intensive and highly polluting. Carrying reusable bags and bottles is one great way to avoid single-use plastics in our day-to-day lives; more on preventing plastic waste can be found below. The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. America Needs a Plastics Intervention. Such materials already exist in nature. This is the case particularly in Southeast Asia, which has begun to import much of the plastic that used to go to China for recycling. 4. Therefore, a plastic straw ban by itself is unlikely to be very effective in actually helping the environment, although it could act as a gateway into the reduction of other single-use plastics. The very best alternative is a reusable bag. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled "Plastic Pollution."But China announced it plans to outlaw the production and sale of . This type of plastic is derived from petroleum. Fortunately, microorganisms can also use cheap, renewable substrates, such as food wastes, biogas methane, carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step, offering a natural place to start with low-hanging fruit so long as its part of a much more fundamental shift away from single-use plastics across the value chains of these companies and our economy. In early January 2020, China joined the growing movement of more than 120 countries pledging to ban single-use plastics.The country of 1.4 billion citizens is the No. You probably already saw the video, but if you didnt, you can watch it below (WARNING: Graphic Content): Supporters of plastic straw bans claim that the ban will help reduce our use of single-use plastics. Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? Straws make up roughly 4 percent of the plastic waste in terms of the number of pieces, but a far smaller percentage in terms of the weight.Due to the fact that the typical weight of a straw is just around one sixty-seventh of an ounce, or 42 grams, the total weight of all those billions of straws combined only accounts for roughly 2,000 tons of the almost 9 million tons of plastic debris that enters the sea each year. Banning straws may confer 'moral license' allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. Plastic straws shouldn't be banned - The Rubicon This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. Communities and consumers can play vital roles in sparking action. Many of the chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors,and research has suggested that human exposure could cause health impacts including hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems like infertility, and even cancer. Polypropylene is a form of plastic that is frequently used in the production of straws. Why Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? - Nationwide Plastics But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags. In fact, I just listed many reasons and points in this article that support both sides of the argument. Buying a product through my link comes at no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products that I believe in. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | Greentumble Well, before putting it into the laundry basket, take a look at it closely. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in the mid-19th century, it wasnt until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. There is a lot of research now underway on the health effects of ocean plastics, but we already know that some plastics, and the chemicals that attach themselves to plastics in the water, can cause cancer, genetic disruptions and other ill effects. Plastic bags have become such a nuisance because we as consumers use them excessively even when not needed and authorities havent figured out effective ways of dealing with them as waste. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income. 300 to 700 plastic bags pass through the hands of an average American in just one year [8] and a survey of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concluded that the average household in the United Kingdom stores around 40 plastic shopping bags at home [2]. This ban has led to an increase in the demand for sustainable plastic alternatives and has also created space for several plant-based materials in the market. LEAPE:There are two clear imperatives. Plastic straws are everywhere we look. Skip the Straw - Florida Department of Environmental Protection 8 good reasons to give up plastic straws - CareElite The first answer to this question that comes to everyones mind is to stop using plastic bags, right? Why is plastic bad for the environment? Some opposers of the plastic straw ban say that a ban is unlikely to actually help the environment, as plastic straws do not make up a large percentage of plastic in the ocean. Individual choicesand the collective shifts they bring aboutadd up quickly. National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. If we ban single-use plastic straws we will have to turn to the dangerous alternatives.In source Five Reasons Banning Plastics May Harm the Environment and Consumers Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. Plastic pollutionwhether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisisimpacts vulnerable communities first. The most common are inorganic dyes that are added to change the color of plastic bags. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. Its possible that using a plastic straw would make it easier for you to drink without spilling, but the long-term expenses are not worth it. Thats bad news for our carbon reduction goals: if plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plantseven as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned 'Banning plastic straws will not be enough': The fight to clean the oceans In fact, the global backlash against plastic straws likely started after researchers off the coast of Costa Rica shared a viral video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose. A study analyzes water transactions that leave water in the river, and shows how they could be scaled up to avert cuts for major water users while supporting imperiled ecosystems. O This requires the usage of 500 million straws, Straws and other items made of plastic are harmful, Every day in the United States. A brief history of how plastic straws took over the world - Environment This could negatively reflect on their income. The truth is that we do not know yet the full scale of negative impacts plastic waste can have on marine and terrestrial environments because it hasnt been around long enough to allow us to assess possible scenarios of its influence on natural cycles. Spare Yourself the Guilt Trip This Earth DayIts Companies That Need to Clean Up Their Acts, These Fanciful Sea Creatures Were Carried in on the Tide. Arguments Why Plastic Should Be Banned - Green Matters Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). The decrease in demand for plastic bags forces manufacturers to reduce their production and consider expanding in a supply of alternative products. You are free to have your own personal opinion on whether or not we should ban plastic straws. We can also decrease costs through improved bioprocessing methods, through metabolic engineering and by exploring and harnessing the incredible diversity of bioplastic-making systems that evolution has already created. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? As a result, the actual recycling rate for plastic bags globally is between 5 to 15 percent, while in the United States it makes only 1 percent a year [17]. The ban also kept them from littering neighborhoods and the environment. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. Plastic straws only account for roughly one percent of the total amount of waste plastic found in the ocean. Why? However, one thing we know, is that by introducing a pollutant that may never break down in the environment can have implications that will far exceed any of our predictions. What can I do for you? The small pilot whale, found in a Thai canal this past June, is another symptom of a crisis in the worlds oceans. The Last Straw: 5 Reasons You Should Ditch Plastic Straws An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. NRDCs Eric Goldstein gives the scoop on the latest environmental villain and explains why plastic straws really are a big menace to our oceans. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isnt recycled at all. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone. TIME for Kids | Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. The phthalate DEHP, as just one example from dozens, is often added to plastic goods like shower curtains and garden hoses to make them more flexiblebut was also found to be a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestl products were found most often. 12 Reasons for Banning Plastic Bags: Plastic Bags Are Made With Non-Renewable Energy Plastic Bags Use Up Lots Of Energy Plastic Bags End Up In The Ocean Beach Plastic Litter Is On The Rise Plastic Bags Kill Millions Of Animals Every Year Plastic Takes A Long Time To Disintegrate Plastic Is Harming The Ocean's Coral Plastic Bags Contain Toxins Do plastic straws really make a difference? - Stanford Earth For many in the disabled community, the availability of plastic straws is essential for their well-being and survival. In Taiwan, which was once overflowing with so much trash that it spurred public protest and the nickname Garbage Island, companies now either manage their own waste or subsidize government-run infrastructure. However, if a plastic straw ban is properly implemented with education about single-use plastics, then the ban could encourage the public to reduce their usage of other single-use plastics as well. Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. You cannot recycle them in the regular curbside collection of plastic, but you should be able to find many larger food stores and retailers (for example: Target, Walmart, Tesco, Morrisons, etc.) Individual actions can lead to collective actions. In this essay on should plastic be banned, it is very important to put forth the fact that there are many bodies of health and environmental governance around the world who argue that plastic ban can be problematic stating the following reasons-. In many instances, it may seem too awkward for you to refuse the bag, so you accept it this one time, but you should know that it is fine to say no politely even at this stage if you dont want that bag. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. More and more states are looking to pass a new kind of recycling law that asks manufacturers to foot the bill for the waste created by their products. Thats nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? Although, really, these tips can be used by anyone, not just kids. In 2015 a mere 24 of these ethane cracker facilities in the United States had the combined carbon output of 3.8 million passenger vehicles. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets. Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips? This is due to the fact that the plastic tubes are far too lightweight to be recycled in an efficient manner. Because of this, the plants and wildlife in the area have a potential risk of absorbing the microplastics through their diets and drinking water. LEAPE:Plastic straws are only a tiny fraction of the problem less than 1 percent.