Plastic Bags Are the World’s Leading Environmental Pollutant Essay Example
Plastic Bags Are the World’s Leading Environmental Pollutant Essay Example

Plastic Bags Are the World’s Leading Environmental Pollutant Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (965 words)
  • Published: April 21, 2022
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Plastic production has gone high in the 21st century due to the increase in both processing and manufacturing industry sector. This has led to increased environmental pollution. Plastic cutback should be discouraged from all the foreign countries. It is estimated that in America, more than 100 billion plastic bags are used by the shoppers (Heinke, 1995). Plastic bag usage has been named as the world’s most used commodity by both shoppers and consumers. Plastic bags are the world’s leading environmental pollutant. It’s the main litter on the beaches, city sewerages and major contributor of floods mostly in the developing countries. Massive plastic flow wastes fuels the death of marine life, especially when it gets into the oceans. It is also fuelling the death of wildlife like camels and sea turtles when the take the plastic wastes.

The col

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lection signs of age have been largely presented by the use of plastic bags. Many countries all over the world have introduced different laws to try curbing the plastic usage rise crisis. In China there is a law outright bans. In the European nations, there is the imposition of stiff fee imposition on plastic trash mess. The federal government introduced a strict law on zero justification for the plastic manufacturing. The United Nations also recently backed the law on zero tolerance (Heinke, 1995).

In United States, a plastic bag manufacturing company has recently launched a massive campaign to fight against the plastic bag ban. The company is derailing the anti bag campaign national wide. Some of the short backs that this industry has embarked are the massive lobbying, especially from the national and state levels. The company claimed that the

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use of reusable bags is dangerous to human beings as it contains high levels lead levels and some bacteria. The founding director of the plastic manufacturing plants stated that the usage of reusable plastic bags is like big tobacco (H. K & Thompson, 2013).

The main aim of their campaign is the protection of their companies profit and the status quo. They are likely to be stopped at nothing towards the discrediting of the scientists information on dangerous chemicals found in these plastic bags and their impacts on animals and the human health. The use of the plastic bags was first invented by a company based in Sweden in the early 1960s and the later introduced to America by ExxonMobil. The plastic bags are waterproof and durable. The plastic bags production cost is very low. Plastic bags are non recyclable.

The first official paper bag ban was in Bangladesh. This was after the heavy floods resulting from the drainage clogging by the plastic bags. In china the ban was brought into full law some months in 2008 prior to the Olympics. Within the first two years alone, china plastic bag pollution has gone down by more than more than two –thirds. The total amount of paper eliminated by the law, counts to forty million bags annually (Kohlmeyer, & Kohlmeyer, 2013). This has helped to save energy that can be compared to 11.7 million of the oil barrels. In India the law is stricter than any other country. The law punishes not only the companies but also the individuals that are found in possession of plastic bags. There exists a law defining the jail terms and fine for

the plastic bag offenders. The continued widespread on plastic ban has fuelled counterattack from the industries manufacturing this plastic bag.

Individuals are advised to use different ways to reduce the paper bag usage. For the grocery shoppers it is advisable to hop from the nearest farmers markets. The local markets are the best option when it comes to fresh market. The vegetables and fruits from the farmers market do not bear the plastic stickers, hence making them environmental friendly. It is advised that for the small fruits like the tomatoes and cherry it is good to use a personal bag or a container. The second proposal is the no campaign against the plastic bag usage.

The plastic bags are said to be generally unnecessary. It is better to be our fruits rather than buying them in plastic bags. Another best option is the use of cloth instead of plastic bags (Doyle, McEachern, & MacGregor, 2015). Buying in bulk bins is largely encouraged as it reduces pollution due to the reusable state of the bulk bags. The cutting out of bottled beverages, sodas and juices is advisable (Dry, & Loveys, 2015). Instead of this bottled beverages one can take the fresh fruits that are perfect substitute and more healthy than this beverage. In the local farmers market one is able to get bread that is only in paper. Down the street at the bakery one can get a piece of bread in a cloth bag. Bread is said to be fresh when stored in cloth bags.

The use of plastic bags should be banned in all countries. There has been massive rise in death of both sea animals and

wild life. Diseases that are associated with plastic bags usage include cancer. Cancer is one of the killer diseases that have no cure especially when discovered late. All human beings should embrace on using cloth bags as they have no health effects and are reusable

References

  1. Doyle, T., McEachern, D., & MacGregor, S. (2015). Environment and politics. Routledge.
  2. Dry, P. R., & Loveys, B. R. (2015). Grapevine shoot growth and stomatal conductance are reduced when part of the root system is dried. VITIS-Journal of Grapevine Research, 38(4), 151.
  3. Heinke, R. M. (1995). U.S. Patent No. 5,404,621. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  4. Kohlmeyer, J., & Kohlmeyer, E. (2013). Marine mycology: the higher fungi. Elsevier. Rochman, C. M., Browne, M. A., Halpern, B. S., Hentschel, B. T., Hoh, E., Karapanagioti, H. K., ... & Thompson, R. C. (2013). Policy: Classify plastic waste as hazardous. Nature, 494(7436), 169-171.
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