10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - tmtnevins.com Her Stand-Up Paddleboard Is a Platform for Campaigning Against Plastic Pollution, A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields. Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your citys newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors. edinburgh airport address. Plastic is not the largest contributor of pollution and the . The production of these bags is very energy intensive. They are also capable of being ingested by fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, which in turn causes the animals injury and, in the case of fish, allows them to enter the human food chain. Our plastic addiction is having a devastating impact on our oceans, our wildlife, and our health. Hi, Im Hugh, and my mission with Get Green Now is to raise awareness of environmental issues and teach people how to live sustainably. (Source: Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment), Stanford scientists are among a growing number of researchers harnessing artificial intelligence techniques to bring more realistic representations of ubiquitous atmospheric ripples into global climate models. How can you help to ban plastic bags in your area? Because they are so lightweight, plastic bags get easily picked up by wind and travel long distances by wind and water to pollute the nature. Plastic items are more sanitary than other alternatives. Thats a promising start. A plastic straw ban would serve to reduce the number of plastic straws entering the ocean. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. Not only does the waste destroy the land itself, but when plastic is incinerated (as is the case for unrecyclable plastic at some illegal facilities) its toxic fumes quickly become a health hazard for residents, leading to everything from skin rashes to cancer. What about you? Once a paper product has been contaminated with food or drink, it must be disposed of in a landfill. China doesnt want our plastic waste anymore. We add another 8 million tons each year thats about five grocery bags full of plastic waste on every foot of shoreline around the world, according to a recent study. It means that most bags can be recycled. If you are a kid reading this, and you want to get green and help the Earth, you are at the right place. In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. Even if plastic doesnt end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. They store these polymers inside their cells as tiny granules. They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea. Well, a possible alternative solution could be to encourage businesses to only give out plastic straws on request. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detectand are just about everywhere. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. Ultimately, we can further decrease costs and achieve economies of scale through decentralized production systems and perhaps also at large biorefineries. Left alone, plastics dont really break down; they just break up. Thoughtful laws are needed to control the problem and at the same time encourage innovation. Exposure to microplastics, as well as the chemicals that are added to plastics during processing, harm our health. It is good for our environment, health and global climate. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animals body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages. Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. 10 Reasons You Should Give Up Plastic Straws - sustainablemotown 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Why is plastic bad for the environment? Help raise awareness of fellow consumers that means everyone when you think about it (unless they dont shopever). What Are Single-use Plastics and Should They Be Banned? Stanford Reportspoke withJim Leape, co-director of theStanford Center for Ocean Solutions, andCraig Criddle, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, about the path to reducing ocean plastic pollution. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent. However, as an environmental enthusiast, heres what I think about this ban. However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it. We should do likewise. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. Without further due, here are the top 3 ways kids can help, Read More 3 Ways Kids can Help the EarthContinue, What Are Microplastics? Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers. So, retailers incorporate this cost hiddenly into prices of other items sold at stores. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. Using a straw directs a concentrated stream of liquid onto a localized area of the teeth, which can cause the enamel to wear away and lead to dental disease. Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? | Persuasive Writing | Scholastic The second, more fundamental imperative is to get plastics out of our waste stream. This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Required fields are marked *. Another example of a locally issued ban is Seattle where not only single-use plastic bags have been banned but also single-use compostable and biodegradable bags. According to market research firms, Americans use about 350 million plastic straws every single day. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye. The explanation is quite simple. These modern conveniences are so ubiquitousand so quickly thrown outthat they hardly register in our minds. It is possible to enhance ones risk of developing cavities by using a straw while consuming liquids that are either sweet or acidic. For instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demandand the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.). Don't Ban Straws - Reason.com 'Banning plastic straws will not be enough': The fight to clean the oceans 2. Ban of Plastic Can be Problematic. Why Are Plastic Straws Bad for the Environment & Should Be Banned In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. They're not alone. The Last Straw: 5 Reasons You Should Ditch Plastic Straws 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. Without proper education, few people would know the purpose of the ban, and they would continue using other single-use plastics which could be even worse for the environment. Such changes could have outsized benefits for vulnerable populations that rely on rivers for their water supply. A straw with our iced coffee, a plastic bag to carry our takeout, a wrapper on a candy bar: taken individually, each seems harmless. Then, they have a propensity to break down into microplastics, which then clutter the ecosystems in question. It also took 100% of those plastic grocery bags out of the recycling system, where they bound up machinery and increased costs. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16]. As part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, Greenpeace volunteers conducted an audit of plastic pollution along coastlines, sifting through tens of thousands of individual pieces across 42 countries to identify the pollutions sources. In this article, Ill go over both the pros and cons of a plastic straw ban. Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. Getting rid of a single plastic straw may not have a very large effect on the environment. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. While these countries and municipalities have been making strides in their part of reducing circulation of plastic bags, in total there are 195 countries in the world [19] and the issue of plastic pollution is still getting out of our hands. TIME for Kids | Should Plastic Straws Be Banned? 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. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. But, getting rid of all single-use plastics definitely will. Plastics bags are not so much necessary that man cannot live without it. 10 reasons why plastic straws should be banned - david-el.co.il China 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned Manufacturers, Supply 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with High Quality, Wholesale 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned with Low Price, High Quality. Interestingly, these granules contain the seeds of their own destruction: enzymes that break the polymer down when it is needed for food. Killing wildlife 5. New and sustainable business models are needed to address the current plastic deluge and also to enable a new generation of sustainable materials and technologies. A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. Thus, plastic straws cant be recycled. Your email address will not be published. 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. Those global companies can be important levers in driving change and shifting to a regenerative, circular economy. The majority of this pollutiondominated by single-use plastic wastecomes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage. Starbucks plans to phase out plastic straws by 2020. (Source: Water in the West), Analysis reveals how restoring relatively narrow forest buffers could substantially improve regional water quality and carbon storage in Costa Rica and elsewhere. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems facing our world today. They are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials. 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. All Rights Reserved. Paper straws cannot be recycled in any way. This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. Ill talk about this more in the next section: By itself, a plastic straw ban is unlikely to have a large impact on the environment. Some Disabled People Require Plastic Straws to Drink For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they. Plastic straws (like most plastic) are non-biodegradable, meaning that it cant be naturally broken down by decomposers. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gasintensive industries in the manufacturing sector. CRIDDLE:Cost is a huge issue. In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. 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. Criddle isdirector of StanfordsCodiga Resource Recovery Center,a member ofStanford Bio-Xand an affiliate of thePrecourt Institute for Energy. BY Rob Jordan, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, As Colorado River wanes, water supplies and ecosystems hang in the balance, Riverfront forest restoration can deliver outsized benefits, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, An AI solution to climate models gravity wave problem, Beavers will become a bigger boon to river water quality as U.S. West warms. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. These dyes on their own can leach toxins, but they can also be contaminated with traces of heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, both of which affect kidney health and proper functioning of other organs. [PDF] Skip The Straw - 10 Reasons Fact Sheet - Kids. Here's a quick list of the ways plastic straws may be harming your health: 1. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. Similar fate has met dolphins, seals, cats, dogs, deer and many other animals which got severely cut on their bodies due to plastic bag entanglement. Car Recycling: Everything You Need to Know (With Statistics), Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling: How to Prevent Damage to Marine Ecosystems, What Are Microplastics and Why Are They a Concern? Do you wonder why? Yes, it should. Starbucks recently announced that it would phase out use of plastic straws by the year 2020. This blog covers a variety of topics including plastic pollution, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and much more. Summary: Reduce your use of single-use plastics. (Everything You Need To Know). That's a whole 900 tons of plastic waste produced every day, and that's just for plastic straws! Paper straws are horrible and should be taken out of circulation Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: 1. Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. 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 do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling. Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. JIM LEAPE: Our oceans are currently swimming with plastics. Harmful to human health 6. This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as time and place elements, style, and grammar); you cant resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you cant republish our material wholesale or automaticallyyou need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when youve used one of our stories.