We use plastic bags and plastic packaging in our everyday lives. But can we replace the with something else? More sustainable? I'm talking about the most common plastic bags that you find at the grocery store, the LDPE (Low density polyethylene) bags. The pros to plastic bags is that they are always available and cheap. That's about it. The cons to plastic bags are that they break easily, you can only reuse them about 17 times until they break and go into landfills. They are not biodegradable, they take thousands of years to decompose. Just like many other plastics they pollute our oceans and get into animal habitats and harm the animals. The cons overpower the pros by far. Reusable bags are the way to go, there are many types of reusable bags but the best type is the ones you already have instead of buying more. The second best is cotton bags. Single use plastic is like plastic silverware, plastic packaging, plastic water bottles.
While some cities have already banned plastic straws like Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami beach. Places like California have a plastic bag tax of 10 cents per plastic bag, encouraging people to use more reusable bags. It has been shown that it reduced plastic bag usage by 85%.
But should we ban all single use plastic??
I think that banning single use plastic and companies using more renewable resources to package products and such. But of course medical gloves and medical plastic straws that help people eat should not be banned.
QUESTIONS
Should the us ban single use plastic?
Should iowa have a plastic bag tax?
Do you think that singe use plastic harms animals environments and oceans??
SOURCES
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use-plastics-101#corporations
“5 Reasons Why Plastic Pollution Stinks.” Factory Direct Promos, 6 June 2018, www.factorydirectpromos.com/blog/5-reasons-why-plastic-pollution-stinks/.
“Are Reusable Bags Better than Plastic Bags?” Ethique, ethique.com/blogs/diy-guides/are-reusable-bags-better-than-plastic-bags.
“Plastic Bags and the Environment.” Bag the Ban, 26 June 2020, www.bagtheban.com/learn-the-facts/environment/#:~:text=ENERGY SAVINGS: Plastic bags require,than plastic bags in landfills.
Replies
Good topic choice and summary Allyson! The issue is its a week late and you didn't reply to any student comments.
I think plastic bag tax will just be another useless tax as plastic is on EVERYTHING in stores as it will just be seen as another cash grab for the government instead of helping plastic bag destruction. I think single use plastics or any plastic harms animals if it is disposed unproperly and unethically. Anything is bad with portions.
I think that the amount of single used plasitc has to decrease and we have to find a more sustainable option. In Germany, plastic straws are banned too and stores aren't allowed to offer plastic bags anymore. I think that using reusable bags and straws is one of the easier steps to take to become more sustainable.
I think that it is bad and we should fine a more natural way of packaging things that is easily broken down and safely broken down. Plastic takes years to decompose and causes pollution in the earth. If we find more natural ways of replacing plastic it will help our planet greatly.
I think single-use plastic bags should be banned entirely. They break easily and overall aren't very reliable. I do believe that single-use plastic harms the animals and the environment. 14 million tons of plastic is found in just the ocean alone each year.
I think plastic is bad and it causes pollution. I don't think is would be a big deal to use the plastic bag tax. Using plastic harms our environment. It just makes our world look and feel disgusting. I think we should just reuse, reduce, and recycle.
I don't know if single-use plastic needs to be banned, but we can reduce our usage of them at the very least. It's really illogical why we have taken a material that lasts almost forever and decided to throw it away after using it for minutes. The amount of plastic we use is excessive and not necessary.
Yes single use plastic harms animals environments and oceans because it get's to the landfill and then blows around and in a matter of time it makes it to the ocean. It's not right for us to use it one time and then throw it away because it's no good. Now these day they made tuperware that is reuseable and you can use it more then once.
We probably should ban single use plastic, but I don't think that would ever happen across the entire country. They are too affordable for businesses and really convient for everybody. I don't know anybody who doesn't use the plastic bags from stores as trash bags. A tax on using them does make more sense and I would prefer that over getting rid of single use plastic.
I think that we should ban single use plastic. It is a waist and a lot of people just throw it out the window when they are done wit it. When you drive in the city or on the interstate you see loads of plastic bags, cups, and other containers along the side on suck in some fence.
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