Single-use plastic bags are bags that are made primarily from petrochemicals and are meant to be disposed of once they have been used. Single-use plastic bags are often used for packaging. Since the manufacture of plastics skyrocketed in the 20 th century, billions metric tons of plastics have been produced. According to a study conducted by Geyer et al. (2017), much of the non-fiber plastic that is manufactured for packaging is for single-use items. Since these plastics are meant to be disposed of right after use, they are significantly polluting the majority of ecosystems. In fact, plastic pollution poses a serious threat to our planet’s health. This paper will discuss two opposing views on the issue of banning single-use plastics bags.
Single-use plastics, which include single-use plastic bags, straws, and wrappers, are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. The world largely relies on the manufacture of single-use plastic bags. As such, they were accumulating plastic waste at a staggering rate. According to the United Nations Environment (n.d), every year, the world produces 300 million tons of plastic. Much of this plastic waste comes from single-use items. Our addiction to single-use plastic bags has negative impacts on the planet’s health. It is polluting the majority of our ecosystems, which includes our rainforests and the world’s deepest ocean trenches.
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Single-use plastics are traditionally hard to recycle. Left alone, single-use plastics do not break down; they just break up into smaller pieces until they become microplastics. These microscopic plastic fragments may end up in the water. The waste may be eaten by wild animals and may eventually end up in our bodies. For humans, wildlife, and marine life, plastic waste can be very dangerous. When wild animals eat microplastics, the microscopic plastic fragments can accumulate inside an animal’s body/ This can lead to a number of health complications, such as fatal intestinal blockages and punctured organs. For humans, exposure to plastic could cause cancer, hormonal imbalances, and infertility. For marine life, re cent studies have found plastic in the stomachs of beached whales and guts of seabirds and turtles (Duncan et al., 2019; Parker, 2015). Due to their negative impact on wildlife, many people support the view that single-use plastic bags should be banned.
In addition, single-use plastic bags have negative impacts on the climate. A study conducted by Hamilton et al. (2019) indicates that plastic production, which includes the production of single-use plastic bags, contributes to the planet-warming greenhouse gas emission. Sourcing materials for the manufacture of plastic involves drillings, which are associated with methane leaking and flaring. Refineries that use crude oil to manufacture plastics contribute significantly to greenhouse emissions due to their carbon output. If the manufacture of plastics continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could increase significantly, negatively impacting the climate. As such, the production of single-use plastic bags should be banned. To sum up, single-use plastic bags have a negative impact on our health, ecosystems, health, climate. With this in mind, many people, especially environmentalists, support the view that the use and production of single-use plastic bags should be banned.
However, other people hold an opposing view. First, they believe that plastic’s carbon footprint is better. A 2019 study by Bell shows that single-use plastic bags have half the carbon footprint of the cotton and paper bags. Thus, switching to biodegradable plastic bags would make the problem of plastic pollution worse.
According to Bell (2019), single-use plastic bags cause 200 times less climate damage than reusable bags. Based on the findings of this research, single-use plastic bags produce less stress on the environment than paper or cotton bags. It is in this regard that some people hold the view that single-use plastic bags should not be banned. Weighing the pros and cons of banning single-use plastic bags, I support the view of banning single-use plastic bags. This is because the pros outweigh the cons.
References
Bell, K. (2019). Comparison of Environmental Impact of Plastic, Paper and Cloth Bags/Kirsty Bell, Suzie Cave. Northern Ireland Assembly [Electronic resource].–Mode of access: http://www. niassembly. gov. uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2011/environment/3611. pdf.–Date access , 29 .
Duncan, E. M., Broderick, A. C., Fuller, W. J., Galloway, T. S., Godfrey, M. H., Hamann, M., ... & Santillo, D. (2019). Microplastic ingestion ubiquitous in marine turtles. Global change biology , 25 (2), 744-752.
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science advances , 3 (7), e1700782.
Hamilton, L. A., Feit, S., Muffett, C., Kelso, M., Rubright, S. M., Bernhardt, C., ... & Labbé-Bellas, R. (2019). Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) .
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., ... & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science , 347 (6223), 768-771.
