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What Are Single-Use Plastics?

Put simply, single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel-based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use-often, in mere minutes. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags.

Though plastic-a chain of synthetic polymers, essentially-was invented in the mid-19th century, it wasn't until the 1970s that its popularity skyrocketed. Manufacturers began replacing traditionally paper or glass staples with lighter or more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for instance. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone.

There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. But these cases make up a small fraction of single-use plastic. According to a 2017 study, more than half of non-fiber plastic, which excludes synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, comes from plastic packaging alone, much of which is for single-use items.

Why Is Single-Use Plastic Bad?

Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. Instead of investing in quality goods that will last, we often prioritize convenience over durability and consideration of long-term impacts. Our reliance on these plastics means we are accumulating waste at a staggering rate. We produce 300 million tons of plastic each year worldwide, half of which is for single-use items. That's nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). 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.

Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles, can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts. But a whopping 91 percent of all plastic isn't recycled at all. Instead it ends up in landfills or in the environment. Single-use plastics in particular-especially small items like straws, bags, and cutlery-are traditionally hard to recycle because they fall into the crevices of recycling machinery and therefore are often not accepted by recycling centers.

Left alone, plastics don't really break down; they just break up. Over time, sun and heat slowly turn plastics into smaller and smaller pieces until they eventually become what are known as microplastics. These microscopic plastic fragments, no more than 5 millimeters long, are hard to detect-and are just about everywhere. Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. They end up in the water, eaten by wildlife, and inside our bodies. They've even made their way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous; when eaten they can easily accumulate inside an animal's body and cause health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages.

Single-Use Plastics and Pollution

Although single-use plastic pollution accumulates most visibly on our streets, in fact our water suffers even more. Litter can be the first stage in a waste stream that enters waterways as plastics tossed on the street are washed away by rain or travel via storm drains into rivers and streams. Our waterway plastic pollution is particularly concentrated: Just ten rivers carry 93 percent of the world's total amount of plastic that enters the oceans via rivers each year.

In 2015 researchers from the University of Georgia estimated that between 4.8 million and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic per year make their way into the oceans via people living within 30 miles of a coast. The majority of this pollution-dominated by single-use plastic waste-comes from countries lacking infrastructure to properly manage waste, particularly in Asia. India, for example, generates 25,940 tons of plastic waste every day but collects only 60 percent of it. (It's also important to remember that waste management is just one part of the global materials cycle. For instance, a lot of the plastic produced in Asian countries is for products that serve U.S. demand-and the United States often sends plastic waste back to these countries for recycling.)

Marine animals bear the burden of this influx of garbage into their habitats. Beached whales have been found with stomachs full of plastic trash. And recent studies found plastic in the guts of 90 percent of the seabirds tested and 100 percent of the turtles. Alarmingly, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050. Not only is plastic estimated to kill millions of marine animals and seabirds each year, but it's also contaminating seafood that humans have relied on for millennia, particularly with microplastics in animals' guts.

Our addiction to plastic also has negative impacts on the climate. A recent report showed that plastic production contributes to planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions at every point in its life cycle. The process of drilling for plastic's 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. Refineries where crude oil is turned into plastic make up one of the most greenhouse gas-intensive industries in the manufacturing sector. And "cracker plants"-which break, or "crack," ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic products-are energy intensive and highly polluting. 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. And the recent fracking boom, resulting in a surplus of oil, is fueling a subsequent rise in cracker plants, too. That's bad news for our carbon reduction goals: if plastic production continues unabated, its greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030 -equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plants-even as the need to curb global climate change becomes more urgent.

Plastic pollution-whether in our oceans, piling up on our coastlines, or contributing to our climate crisis-impacts vulnerable communities first. Even if plastic doesn't end up in the ocean, recycled plastic is often exported from high-income countries to developing countries to process. But the sheer amount of plastic waste inundates communities until they are drowning under thousands of tons of plastic trash. 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. 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. Such is the case with many environmental crises: the worst effects are pushed onto overburdened communities with the fewest resources to fight back.

Should We Ban Single-Use Plastics?

Plastic is putting a strain on waste management systems, our oceans, and vulnerable communities the world over. A wave of single-use plastic bans is sweeping the country and the globe-most often on plastic bags, straws, stirrers, and takeout clamshells. (Some places are going so far as to ban single-use plastics entirely; most notably, India intends to go this route by 2022.) Among the U.S. cities to outlaw plastic straws are Malibu, Berkeley, Seattle, and Miami Beach. Plastic bag bans-ideally accompanied by a fee on paper bags-are also catching on. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and California's bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent (with some customers opting to pay a 10 cent fee for thicker plastic bags) and has reduced coastal pollution.

What do the bans accomplish? They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production that's contributing to global climate change. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable.

Large producers of single-use plastics can make a big environmental impact. 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 pollution's sources. They discovered that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé products were found most often. Coca-Cola has said that it alone produces three million tons of plastic packaging each year, equivalent to a terrifying 200,000 plastic bottles per minute. Policies like bottle bill laws-which generally require retailers to add a fee on individual bottles, which can then be partially redeemed by customers when they recycle-are a way to increase corporate responsibility for waste while providing a monetary incentive to recycle. 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. Accompanied by high social accountability and musical garbage trucks, that strategy has proved wildly effective: the island now reports recycling rates above 50 percent.

Some companies are taking initiative on their own. McDonald's swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. And Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favor of paper ones. These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits.

Avoiding Single-Use Plastics

Individual choices -and the collective shifts they bring about-add up quickly. Making just one simple swap, like purchasing a reusable water bottle, can spare the environment hundreds of plastic bottles each year. Here are a few more tips for ridding your life (and your community) of single-use plastics for good.

Always pack a reusable bag when shopping. (And yes-reusable totes are better for the environment than plastics, recent media claims aside.)

Cook more often, to reduce your use of plastic-heavy takeout containers.

Buy in bulk. Avoid individually packaged goods, like snack packs.

Though buying online sometimes has a lower carbon footprint than shopping in a store (skip the express delivery option, if you can), online shipments are still chock-full of plastic. Your best bet to reduce your footprint and plastic waste? Walk, bike, or take public transit to buy in-person.

Avoid plastic wrap altogether by storing leftovers in reusable containers. Try reusable and compostable beeswax wrap for an easy and decorative option.

Buy a metal or bamboo reusable straw. Pack it alongside reusable cutlery (like wood, bamboo, or metal chopsticks) for sustainable eating on the go.

Talk to the owners of the restaurants you frequent. Ask if they have nonplastic alternatives to plastic straws, stirrers, or bags.

Speak out in support of local plastic bans, whether by calling your local government representative, submitting an op-ed to your city's newspaper, or simply starting conversations with neighbors.

Let companies that make your favorite products know that you care about the packaging. 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 fuel-derived plastic.

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Here's everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes.

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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. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. 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 non-degradable bags by the end of 2020 in major cities (and everywhere by 2022), as well as single-use straws by late 2020. Markets selling produce will have until 2025 to follow suit.

The push to ban plastic took center stage in 2018 with massive promotions like the award-winning # StopSucking campaign, which featured stars like NFL quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen and Hollywood actor Adrian Grenier pledging to give up single-use plastic straws. Now countries and companies are saying no to plastics by the dozens, and consumers are following along with them.

As the plastics-ban movement hits major milestones - such as China's latest announcement - we decided to define the bottles, bags and straws that are causing this global stir.

What Is Single-use Plastic?

True to its name, a single-use plastic is disposable plastic that's designed to be used once then tossed or recycled. This includes everything from plastic water drink bottles and produce bags to disposable plastic razors and plastic ribbon - really any plastic item you use then immediately discard. While these items can be recyclable, Megean Weldon of the blog and waste-prevention shop Zero Waste Nerd says that's hardly the norm.

"In reality, very few plastic items can be processed into new materials and products," she says in an email. "Unlike glass and aluminum, plastic isn't processed into the same item it was when it was collected by a recycling center. The quality of plastic is downgraded, so eventually, and inevitably, that plastic will still end up in a landfill."

Take a plastic water bottle. Most bottles say they can be recycled - and based solely on their easily recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) composition, they could be. But nearly seven out of 10 bottles end up in landfills or tossed as litter. This problem increased when China decided to stop accepting and recycling plastic in 2018. For municipalities, that meant recycling became significantly pricier, according to The Atlantic, so many municipalities are now simply opting for the budget-friendly landfill over recycling.

Pair this landfill-first approach with the world's ever-growing plastic consumption - humans produce almost 20,000 plastic bottles per second, according to The Guardian and America's waste grew by 4.5 percent from 2010 to 2015 - it's no wonder the world is overflowing with plastic waste.

Plastic Could Outlive Us All

Think banning all of this plastic is overkill? There are some very solid reasons why it makes sense. First, plastic in landfills just doesn't go away. According to Weldon, a plastic bag takes 10 to 20 years to degrade, while a plastic bottle takes almost 500 years. And, even when it's "gone," its remnants remain.

"Plastic never breaks down or goes away; it only breaks into smaller and smaller pieces until they're so microscopic they can be found in our air and our drinking water," Kathryn Kellogg, author and founder of the waste-reduction website Going Zero Waste, says via email.

Some grocery stores have switched to biodegradable plastic shopping bags as a way to meet consumers in the middle, but research shows this is hardly a savvy solution. One study from researchers at the University of Plymouth in England analyzed 80 single-use plastic grocery store bags made of biodegradable plastic over the course of three years. Their goal? Determine just how "biodegradable" these bags really were. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Soil and seawater didn't lead to bag degradation. Instead, three of the four types of biodegradable bags were still sturdy enough to hold up to 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) of groceries (as were the non-biodegradable bags). Those exposed to sun did break down - but that's not necessarily positive either. The small particles from degradation can quickly spread through the environment - think air, ocean or the belly of hungry animals who mistake plastic fragments for food.

Can't We Just Reuse Single-use Plastic?

Another reason many countries are prohibiting single-use plastics is because they shouldn't be reused, despite our best intentions. As many municipalities forego recycling, it's tempting to take matters into your own hands by reusing (and therefore "recycling") plastic bottles and containers. Sure, this may work for bags, but experts say to take caution when it comes to plastic bottles or food containers. One study in Environmental Health Perspectives showed that all plastics used in food containers and plastic bottles could release harmful chemicals if used repeatedly. (This includes those said to be free of bisphenol A [BPA] - a controversial chemical that's been linked to hormonal disruptions.)

While researchers are still analyzing the safety of repeated plastic reuse, experts recommend glass or metal to avoid potentially harmful chemicals. And according to Weldon, it's time we adopt a reuse mindset - be it cotton produce bags, stainless steel straws or a full-on zero-waste.

"The worst thing about any single-use item is that we devalue something to the point that we intend to throw it away," she says. "The convenience culture has normalized this destructive behavior and as result, we produce millions of tons of it every single year. If we change our mindset on what we consume, we will be more aware of the single-use plastic we use and how we can avoid it."
This story is a part of Covering Climate Now's week of coverage focused on Climate Solutions, to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Covering Climate Now is a global journalism collaboration committed to strengthening coverage of the climate story.

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What Are Single-use Plastics and Should They Be Banned?

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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. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled " Plastic Pollution."

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Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. They are a part of our modern lives, and we don't tend to think much about them. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world [1].

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].

What about you? Do you also have that overflowing kitchen drawer full of plastic bags you bring from your shopping trips?

If the answer is yes, you should know that this inadvertent overconsumption of single-use plastic carries with it a very high cost to the environment, which in turn also negatively affects our health.

How? Well, let's have a look at the most important reasons why single-use plastic bags should be banned right now.

10 Good reasons why are plastic bags bad for us and for the environment

#1 Plastic bags pollute our land and water

Plastic bags are everywhere. Look around and you will notice that plastic bags are the most common litter. Tangled in trees and fences along roads, floating in water, lying on the ground in parks and forests, surrounding garbage bins, washed off on beaches...

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 bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. For example, millions of discarded plastic bags clog water drainage channels and sewers in urban areas of Bangladesh. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes.

For many of us it is hard to imagine that something as small as a plastic bag can actually cause flooding, but residents of some cities in Bangladesh have been struggling with this problem every monsoon season for the past two decades [3].

The Pasig River in the Philippines is another scary example of the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. Some tributaries of the river have been filled with plastic waste to the level that you could almost walk across them without getting your feet wet. Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesn't come without consequences. The Pasig River is the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution in the world.

#2 Plastic bags are made from non-renewable resources and contribute to climate change

We hear everywhere around us that we need to save energy. It is good for our environment, health and global climate. But only a few of us realize that each time we accept those disposable plastic grocery bags at store checkout, we actively participate in wasting energy and depleting non-renewable resources.

The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing.

Oil and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources and through their extraction and production, they emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change.

The production of these bags is very energy intensive. Globally, 8 to 10 percent of our current oil supply goes to a plastic bag manufacture [4]. In the United States alone, statistics reach up to 12 million barrels of oil that are used each year to produce even more plastic bags - 100 billion more, to give you the precise number [5].
To produce nine plastic bags, it takes the equivalent energy to drive a car one kilometer (more than 0.5 miles).
Using these non-renewable resources to make plastic bags is very short-sighted, considering that the typical useful life of each plastic bag is about 12 minutes and that the world's oil reserves contain enough oil to cover our needs through 2050, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates.

#3 Plastic bags never break down

Petroleum-based plastic bags are composed of very resistant synthetic polymers that may take up to 1,000 years or never until they completely degrade in natural environments [6]

What does occur in most instances is that when out in the environment, the plastic breaks up into tiny microscopic pieces that get deposited in soils (where we grow food) or contaminate waterways. These pieces can be so small that they are invisible to our eye.

You can be sure of one thing, though. Even when you don't see it, these indestructible particles are everywhere around us, including in the food chain.

Already in 2001, researchers found that the mass of microscopic plastic fragments in the North Pacific Central Gyre was 6 times higher than of plankton. The subtropical gyres of the North Pacific Ocean are also documented to contain the highest concentrations of plastic. It's because Asian and US coastlines release large amounts of plastic waste in the ocean [7].

But this comes along with many unanswered questions. We do not know the full impact of microplastics exceeding the mass of plankton in the ocean. We don't know how it will in the long term affect plankton-feeding species and their predators.

Scientists have recorded some species of zooplankton eating tiny plastic particles. Considering what important source of food plankton is for many other species, it is clear that plastic gets distributed across the marine ecosystem.

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 hasn't been around long enough to allow us to assess possible scenarios of its influence on natural cycles.

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.

#4 Plastic bags are harmful to wildlife and marine life

Have you ever seen endangered sea turtles hatch? They are tinier than a palm of your hand and appear so fragile when struggling across the beach to make it to the sea.

Even human footprints left in the sand represent mountain-like obstacles in their path and waves washing up on the beach are another challenge, as they thrust them back on the dry land to try once again before finally being picked up by a return current and start swimming for their life.

Since their birth, baby turtles have only one goal - to get to the sea and swim into deep waters where they will feed and if successful grow into adult turtles. On their long journey, they will encounter many difficulties and only a small portion of them will survive.

Sadly, one of their newly acquired enemies is created by us who should protect them instead. Plastic bags.

Plastic bags floating in the ocean resemble jellyfish, one of the main sources of food for some species of sea turtles, especially the critically-endangered Leatherback turtles.

According to a study carried out in 2013, up to 35 percent of turtle deaths were caused by plastic ingestion and the probability that sea turtles will consume even more plastic increases every year [9].

Sea turtles are not the only species suffering from plastic bag pollution of the environment.

Nearly 20 years ago, a dead pelican was found with its stomach filled with 17 plastic bags [10]. In 2008, a crocodile in Australia died because of 25 plastic bags filling its stomach [11]. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. These examples could go on for a long time...

Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life. The consumed plastic congests the digestive tracts of these animals, and can lead to health issues such as infections, painful intestinal blockage, starvation or death by suffocation.

The most heartbreaking part of this is that the affected animals are not aware they eat something that will make them feel miserable and will slowly kill them.

Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. There were numerous cases of birds caught in plastic bags, unable to fly and feed, eventually strangling themselves to death.

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.

National Geographic made a video on how helpless it feels to be caught in a plastic bag. Have a look yourself to imagine the suffering of these animals.

Video credit: Youtube / National Geographic

A last example of a true horror caused by plastic has been discovered just recently. A 2018 study of coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific has confirmed that plastic waste deposited on coral reefs promotes outbreaks of diseases that gradually destroy whole reef colonies [12]. So, plastic waste only speeds up the destruction of these most biodiverse ecosystems on earth.

#5 Plastic bags are harmful to human health

Many of you may have heard it already. Tiny plastic particles have been found in human feces.

But is it really that surprising?

Microplastics were found in soft drinks like Coca Cola, in tap water, in seafood... It has contaminated our food chain, so it should not surprise us that it can be tracked in our body.
In fact, according to researchers, every second person on the planet could have some microplastic in the body [13].
The reason to worry is that scientists do not know how our metabolism and immunity will react to the increased concentration of plastic particles in our system. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body.

Additionally, plastics in our digestive tract may affect absorption of some important trace elements (like iron) which we need for maintaining proper health [13].

Plastic bags and plastic products overall contain substances that are harmful to our health. The most common are inorganic dyes that are added to change the color of plastic bags.

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.

Plastic fragments in the ocean such as those from plastic bags can absorb pollutants like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) easily. These are known to be hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Another indirect danger of plastic bags has breeding ground in the pollution they create.

Plastic waste that clogs water drainage channels and river tributaries of many Asian cities increases exposure of residents to water-borne diseases, as it creates a toxic soup that remains stranded in one place for prolonged periods of time.

#6 Plastic bags are not easy to recycle

As plastic bags tend to get caught in recycling machinery, most recycling facilities do not have the capacity to recycle plastic bags and therefore do not accept them.

In fact, plastic bags are considered by many recycling facilities the number one contaminant and their removal from the recycling stream costs municipalities close to $1 million a year [18].

Since plastic bag recycling requires a specialized equipment that can break down the plastic and mold it into a new product, most municipalities do not have the budget to include their recycling in their waste management program. So, plastic bag recycling facilities are few and far between and transportation to one could be expensive.

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].

An additional problem with plastic grocery bags recycling is their cleanliness. Ideally, to be suitable for recycling, bags need to be clean to be accepted, which is often a problem, considering that we use them to carry groceries and potentially leaky goods.

#7 Plastic bags are costly to pay for and to clean up after

If there is one piece of advice that everyone should remember, it would be that " nothing is for free" in this world.

While we may not pay for plastic bags directly when we go shopping, they are anything but "free."

On average, plastic bags cost retailers about 3-5 cents each. It may not seem like much, but when you imagine how many bags they have to provide throughout a year, you will quickly realize that plastic bags are costly. So, retailers incorporate this cost "hiddenly" into prices of other items sold at stores.

Additionally, someone has to pay the cost of dealing with plastic bags in the waste stream. This includes waste collection, regular cleanups to remove plastic bag litter along the roads or blown away from landfills and then even processing at landfill sites.

According to some estimates, the cost of plastic bag cleanup is about 17 cents per bag [14] and the cost is paid by us once again.

On average, taxpayers end up paying about $88 per year just on plastic bag waste [15].

So that "free" plastic bag isn't so free after all.

#8 Plastic bags have external costs

Beyond the costs associated with the production and purchasing of plastic bags by retailers, there are many external costs that are often not considered.

These costs include the true environmental costs of resource extraction and depletion, the loss of quality of life, economic loss from littering, and wildlife loss.

Unfortunately, such costs are typically not included in most economic analyses, as they are not easy to calculate because the equation would have to involve many indirect variables.

However, in 2014, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supported the first project to calculate the "real" cost of plastic, including adverse environmental impacts of its production, use and disposal.

The resulting number is staggering. Plastic use costs approximately $75 billion a year [16].

#9 There are better alternatives available, and jobs to go with them!

The very best alternative is a reusable bag. Do you wonder why?

The explanation is quite simple. Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life.

This means that you are not consuming more resources every time you need to carry your groceries home. Instead, you are actually reusing a product, and that means that you are utilizing earth's resources smartly, while at the same time reducing waste.

For example, a reusable jute bag should last at least 4 years, during which it can prevent the use of 600 single-use plastic bags.

Once a person gets into the habit of bringing reusable bags when shopping, it is not much of an inconvenience at all. After all, ask your grandparents, they will remember that during their time people were used to go shopping with their own bags or baskets.

The manufacturing of reusable bags or compostable alternatives to plastic bags offers a new opportunity to create sustainable products and provide jobs that go with them.

The trend has already started. There are some great initiatives that strive to provide jobs for women in rural communities with limited possibilities of securing monthly income.

#10 Other governments are banning plastic bags, so yours should too... or at least make people pay for them

To date, around 60 countries and municipalities around the world have instituted plastic bag bans, and additional seven countries are planning to enforce the law in the closest future.

Some countries have decided to do so after directly experiencing negative impacts of plastic bags, other countries have implemented the ban to reach their sustainability goals.

Let's see some examples:

The first country to ban single-use plastic bags was Bangladesh in 2002 when plastic bag litter clogged drainage channels and contributed to destructive floods.

Other country that has decided to enforce the country-wide plastic bag ban after suffering of negative consequences was Mauritania. The country instituted the ban in 2013 to minimize livestock deaths. Prior the ban, 70 percent of livestock losses were attributed to plastic bag ingestion [20].

In the United States, California has banned single-use plastic bags in 2016, but the city of San Francisco has locally issued this ban already in 2012 and consumers pay a little fee for other alternatives like compostable bags or recycled paper bags.

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. This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives.

For those governments that are opposed to full bans on plastic bags, another option is to institute a plastic bag tax, where consumers or retailers would pay a small fee for each plastic bag.

This strategy has been adopted by some countries and municipalities so far and has proven to greatly reduce plastic bag usage by consumers.

For example, in Botswana, the consumption of plastic bags dropped by 50 percent after the introduction of the tax in 2007. In Ireland, where this fee was instituted in 2002, plastic bag usage decreased by about 90 percent. This means that the average consumption of plastic bags per person dropped from 328 bags per year to just 21 [20].

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. That is why the United Nations Environmental Programme Secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags globally.

Steps towards a plastic bag free future: How to help ban plastic bags in your community?

Plastic bags have become such a nuisance because we as consumers use them excessively even when not needed and authorities haven't figured out effective ways of dealing with them as waste.
Until recently, the impact of plastic bags has been largely underestimated and overlooked.
Logically, the key to starting a change in your community is education.

This means that you need to first educate yourself about the problem. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. What is the root of the problem (consumers or municipal waste management)?

But you should also consider the other perspective - what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. You should examine what alternatives are available and whether local retailers, who often operate with a limited monthly budget, have the ability to make the switch.

By being aware about these issues, you will be ready to present some strong arguments why plastic bags should be banned in your area and answer questions of people who will become your ally if you will persuade them about your good intentions. Which brings us to the second part...

Second step is educating others.

Help raise awareness of fellow consumers - that means everyone when you think about it (unless they don't shop...ever).

Communities with good awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags have been more successful at enforcing the ban [20]. This is because the customers voluntarily reduce their consumption of plastic bags, which in turn provides enough time for retailers to find suitable alternatives and switch to them.

Once the wheel starts spinning, it leads to even more positive changes. The decrease in demand for plastic bags forces manufacturers to reduce their production and consider expanding in a supply of alternative products.

Additionally, awareness raising campaigns create a social pressure that should inspire local government and institutions to help in making changes at a bigger scale, like a regional ban or levy.

You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. Start from yourself and slowly expand to your family and friends. Individual actions can lead to collective actions.

How to stop using plastic bags?

The first answer to this question that comes to everyone's mind is to stop using plastic bags, right? Simply, refuse them when offered and bring your own reusable bag when shopping.

These steps are pretty straight forward and depend on your own initiative.

However, we are all too familiar with situations when a cashier automatically puts your items in a plastic bag before you can oppose it.

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 don't want that bag. The cashier usually understands, only had to do what instructed and what most customers expect (unfortunately) from him or her. We all are just trying to do our job well.

In countries with a lack of awareness about negative impacts of plastic bags, a polite refusal might not be met with much understanding. Then, you should try to explain your reasons for not wanting your products packed in plastic bags.

Most retailers will get your point, but it can also happen that they will not be willing to sell you some products without placing it in their plastic bags because of having to oblige with some hygiene and sanitary standards (for example when selling meat products).

If this happens, there are a few scenarios you can follow:

You could either discuss with a store manager a possibility of bringing your own containers for these products.

Look for another place that does accept or use alternative packaging, such as small local stores that use paper wraps or compostable bags.

Or you may need to accept that plastic bag this time and then start campaigning for a plastic bag ban in your area 😊.

What to do with plastic bags you already have at home?

The best thing you can do with those old plastic bags that have been stashed in that overflowing drawer in your kitchen is to recycle them.

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.) that do collect plastic bags and other plastic films and send them for proper recycling.

You can use some easy online locators to see the closest plastic bag drop-off. All you need to do is paste your ZIP code and then see the list of stores with bag drop-off in your nearest location.

Most drop-off collection points accept plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (plastic number 2) and low-density polyethylene (plastic number 4). It means that most bags can be recycled.

This includes grocery plastic bags, Ziplock-type bags, dry cleaning bags and bread bags.

There is only one requirement - these plastic bags need to be dry and clean, otherwise they contaminate the entire batch and your effort will do more harm than good.

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10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned | Greentumble

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Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. They are a part of our modern lives, and we don't tend to think much about them. In fact, it is estimated that up to 10 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world [1].

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State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

Reducing bag use can mitigate harmful impacts to oceans, rivers, lakes, forests and the wildlife that inhabit them. It can also relieve pressure on landfills and waste management.

While some states are focusing on implementing effective recycling programs, others are imposing bans or fees to discourage the use of plastic bags altogether.

Bans and Fees

Eight states-California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont-have banned single-use plastic bags.

In August 2014, California became the first state to enact legislation imposing a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at large retail stores. The bill also required a 10-cent minimum charge for recycled paper bags, reusable plastic bags, and compostable bags at certain locations. The ban was set to take effect on July 1, 2015, but a referendum forced the issue onto the ballot in the November 2016 election. Proposition 67 passed with 52 percent of the vote, meaning the plastic bag ban approved by the Legislature remains the law. A detailed summary of the law can be found below. Voters also rejected a second measure, Proposition 65, which proposed to create an environmental fund with proceeds from a 10-cent charge for alternative bags.

Hawaii has a de facto statewide ban as all of its most populous counties prohibit non-biodegradable plastic bags at checkout, as well as paper bags containing less than 40 percent recycled material. Bans in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties took effect between 2011 and 2013, with Honolulu becoming the last major county to approve the ban in 2015.

New York became the third state to ban plastic bags in 2019 with passage of Senate Bill 1508. The law, which goes into effect March 2020, will apply to most single-use plastic bags provided by grocery stores and other retailers. Bags distributed at the meat/deli counter and bulk food area are exempt, as well as newspaper bags, trash bags, garment bags, bags provided by a pharmacy for prescription drugs, and restaurant takeout bags. The law allows individual counties the option of placing a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with 2 cents going to local governments and 3 cents to the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

Five other states enacted legislation in 2019-Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. In addition to plastic bags, Vermont's SB 113 also placed restrictions on single-use straws and polystrene containers.

In 2009, the District of Columbia enacted legislation requiring all businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge 5 cents for each carryout paper or plastic bag.

Recycling Programs

States have a long history of pursuing legislation related to labeling, recycling, and reusing plastic bags. In 1991, Maine became the first state to enact legislation requiring recycling efforts at retail stores. The law prevents retailers from supplying plastic bags unless they provide a convenient storefront receptacle to ensure used bags are collected and recycled. Since then at least four other states-California, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island-and the District of Columbia have followed suit.

Legislation Summary

State lawmakers have introduced at least 95 bills in 2019 related to plastic bags. Most of these bills would ban or place a fee on plastic bags. Others would preempt local government action or improve bag recycling programs.

2011 CA S 567

Enacted

Prohibits the sale of plastic products labeled as compostable, home compostable, or marine-degradable unless it meets standard specifications. It provides for a civil penalty for a violation.

2019 HB 130

Enacted

Expands upon the existing at-store recycling program regarding the use of single-use plastic bags and limits stores subject to the program from providing single-use plastic bags for only specific uses.

2019 HB 1115

Enacted

Prohibits a retail establishment from providing single-use carryout bags at the point of sale or otherwise making the bags available to customers, with exemptions for certain types and uses of plastic and paper bags.

2017 HB 56

Enacted

Repeals the eight-year ban on the use of plastic bags by retailers on the Outer Banks.

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State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

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Plastic pollution has officially become a worldwide health crisis. Almost 80 percent of the Earth's plastic is currently littering our landfills and environment, and almost 13 tons end up in our oceans, according to Greenpeace. Some countries, like Peru and Australia, have severely restricted single-use plastics. Others, like France and Kenya, are banning them outright. As the U.S.A. waits for a federal-level policy on single-use plastics, here are some things you can do right now to start reducing your own plastic footprint at home.

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These 10 Countries Will Inspire You To Stop Your Single-Use Plastic Habit - Great Big Story

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Plastic pollution has officially become a worldwide health crisis. Almost 80 percent of the Earth's plastic is currently littering our landfills and environment, and almost 13 tons end up in our oceans, according to Greenpeace. Some countries, like Peru and Australia, have severely restricted single-use plastics.

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Would Banning Plastic Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet? | Above the Noise | PBS LearningMedia

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Plastic bottles are everywhere! About 70% of the plastic water bottles bought in the U.S. are not recycled, and end up in the oceans. It seems obvious that using fewer plastic water bottles would be a good thing for our environment, but sometimes the alternatives can have negative consequences.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky legislature will decide this session if it will join other communities across the country (and the globe) in banning single-use plastic bags like the ones we get at the supermarket. The initiative is pushed by well-intentioned environmentalists the world over-and, full disclosure, I've been grocery shopping with reusable bags for years.

But, the science behind plastic bag bans isn't as straight forward as you might think.
RELATED: Proposed bill would cut down on single-use plastics in Kentucky
Now, first of all, let's get this out there: there is no question that single-use plastic bags are super bad for the planet. That's especially true if you don't dispose of them properly.

Many animals can confuse them for food, and die. And, we're terrible at recycling them. The EPA says Americans used 4.14 million tons of plastic bags and wraps in 2017, and only about 9% of them were recycled.

However, if a plastic bag ban causes us to opt for paper bags instead, we won't be doing Mother Nature any favors. It is true that paper bags decompose better than plastic ones, meaning they are less of a problem for wildlife; but, they actually contribute more to climate change.

A study from Britain's Environment Agency found that it takes way more energy (and contributes to more emissions) to turn a tree into paper than to turn oil into a plastic bag.
RELATED: VERIFY: Does 90% of ocean plastic come from 10 rivers in Africa and Asia?
The goal of single-use plastic bans, of course, is to encourage more of us to invest in reusable bags. These can cut down on environmental harm, provided we use reuse them many times.

However, if you do get-or if you already have-reusable bags, make sure you wash them frequently. A study from the University of Arizona found dangerous bacteria, including E. coli, in half of the reusable bags they tested; and, 97% of the people they interviewed said they never washed their bags. The researchers at UA recommended that any reusable bag campaign be accompanied with a public health awareness campaign to teach people how to wash their bags to stay safe and healthy.

All this said, though, should not be taken to suggest that pursuits on cutting down on plastic waste are not worthwhile. A study out of Denmark in 2018 suggests that the most environmentally friendly way to carry our groceries is to invest in polyester or plastic reusable bags, and then use them consistently (remembering, of course, to clean them).

LONG LIVE MOTHER EARTH.
MORE WHAS UP: Want to know "Have a question or topic you want him to check out? Send him a Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users. or a Facebook post. " with something? Rob Harris is your guy. He's talking to some of the smartest people in our community to find out more about science, history, urban legends, local quirks, and more.

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A plastic bag ban may not be as green as you think

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky legislature will decide this session if it will join other communities across the country (and the globe) in banning single-use plastic bags like the ones we get at the supermarket. The initiative is pushed by well-intentioned environmentalists the world over-and, full disclosure, I've been grocery shopping with reusable bags for years.

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The moment is right to discuss plastic use in Canada. Touching all corners of our lives, plastic products, most of which are used only once and thrown away, have been extremely prevalent in recent decades. The majority of this plastic waste ends up in the ocean and threatens the lives of marine creatures, costing billions of dollars in losses to governments and organizations. In light of these issues, many regions and associations, including the Canadian government, are taking steps to mitigate plastic waste through bans on plastic products. Although bans are of significant importance as an effective method to solve plastic waste problems, there exist concerns about the possible negative effects of such a policy, including issues of well-being and affordability. This article examines evidence about plastic waste, especially single-use plastics, and the effects of policies trying to remediate it, to contribute to the Canadian debate surrounding Justin Trudeau's single-use plastic bans.

Issue

Plastic, as a lightweight, cheap, hygienic and low-cost material, is ever-present in our daily lives. However, its feature of being resistant and strong makes it hard to degrade, causing environmental issues, ocean pollution in particular, which poses a threat to marine creatures and humans alike. Many countries have taken - or announced to take - measures to deal with the pollution caused by plastics. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced his government's intention to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021 ¹. As it happens with most environmental issues, it is a controversial decision that has raised conflicting voices in favour and opposition for this ban. Although there are plausible alternatives for bans, I suggest here that it is necessary to implement the policy of banning single-use plastics.

The Knowledge Base

The Truth about plastics. Plastic is a material made of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and so can be made into solid objects. Single-use plastics, so-called disposable plastics, are plastics intended to be used only once before being thrown away or recycled. Unlike other materials, plastics are normally not biodegradable, but instead photodegradable, a process estimated to take 10-1000 years².

How much plastic are we producing and consuming? The global production of plastics has grown dramatically. In 2014 we produced 311MT, twenty times more than in 1950. As for consumption, we observe plastic waste generation increasing annually. The tendency is similar to production (increased from 50MT in 1970 to 300MT in 2015, figure 1³). One fact worth noting is that plastic packaging (one of the single-use plastics) waste accounted for 47% of global plastic waste in 2015.

How do we dispose of plastic waste? There are three main methods to deal with plastic waste: Recycling, incinerating and landfilling. Of these landfilling is dominant, accounting for 79% of the end of plastic waste⁴.

What have other countries done? Many countries have taken measures to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Africa stands out as the strongest participant against plastic bags, followed by Europe⁵. Measures include regulatory instruments, economic instruments, social pressure, public-private partnership and voluntary agreements.

What has Canada done? Leaf Rapids, Wood Buffalo, Thompson and Montreal started to ban plastics in the last decade, but there is still no information available about the impact of the measures.

About Trudeau's Policy

Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada will take the following steps to reduce Canada's plastic waste:

Ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021 were supported by scientific evidence and warranted;

Work with provinces and territories to introduce standards and targets for companies manufacturing plastic products or selling items with plastic packaging so they become responsible for their plastic waste. These measures will be grounded in scientific evidence and will align, where appropriate, with similar actions being taken in the European Union and other countries.

The single-use plastics ban has been welcomed by environmental advocates, but opposition voices exist from groups worried about the implications of such ban. People with limited mobility point out that a ban on plastic straws would leave them without a better alternative; Communities living with long-term drinking water advisories ⁶ are concerned about how a ban on plastic water bottles will affect their access to safe drinking water. Indeed, studies ⁷ find that the primary concern of most consumers is the rising costs due to more expensive biodegradable packaging materials. Only 37.7% of surveyed people are willing to pay more for the new packaging, though 71% support a single-use plastics ban.

There are alternatives to the ban. Environmental engineer Morton Barlaz of North Carolina State University posits that it might be better to charge for single-use plastics. Environmental scientist Max Liboiron proposed to reduce oil subsidies since oil is the source of petroleum-based plastics. Both methods lead to increasing the price of single-use plastics, inducing manufacturers to look for better alternatives.

Determining whether to implement the policy is challenging due to the complexity of the consequences. However, it's hard to deny that we should do something about the pollution. Plastic waste can cause not only environmental and economic issues but also health damage to human beings. After being landfilled, plastics decompose into small molecules and infiltrate into the soil, eventually entering into the food chain. They are highly likely to appear in the ocean due to its lightness or human's direct dumping, and eaten by marine creatures, blocking their airways and stomachs. In addition, plastic waste can cause illness or flood by blocking sewers and providing breeding grounds for pests.

Given that Canada has the longest coastline in the world, we have a unique responsibility in reducing plastic pollution, protecting the wildlife and preserving the places we love. Taking action in reducing single-use plastics, one-third of the plastic used in Canada is a good beginning.

Quick Facts about plastic pollution

Every year, 1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide are injured or die when they mistake plastic for food or become entangled⁸.

90% of the plastic ends up in the oceans. There are currently 50 million tons of plastic in the world's oceans⁹.

Every day, Canadians throw away 34 million plastic bags¹⁰, and every year, over 3 million tons of plastic waste is created, representing up to $8 billion/year in lost value.

Only 9% of plastic waste was recycled in Canada and 87% ended up in landfills¹¹ in 2016.

The economic cost of plastic waste is estimated to be more than $13 billion/year.

But do we necessarily need to ban single-use plastics?

The answer is affirmative. It is important to realize that such a ban does not necessarily shrink people's welfare. According to the government's announcement, by improving plastic waste management and investing in innovative solutions, Canada can reduce 1.8 million tons of carbon pollution, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create 42,000 jobs. Although there's no detailed explanation of those numbers, it's reasonable to say that this policy would leave us a better environment, increase revenue of innovation firms and therefore create new jobs in this industry. Savings from the cost of plastic waste disposal is a considerable number, which can be used to subsidize innovation firms or improve social infrastructure. And if a good alternative can be found, this ban would not bring inconvenience to our lives. For example, we may use a glass bottle to substitute plastic bottle.

Bans are sometimes necessary because actions without regulatory instruments can be problematic. Social pressure through campaigns against single-use plastics was used in Bangladesh during the 1990s but without regulation, more than 9 million plastic bags were wasted daily in its capital in 2002. Other campaigns enlisting public engagement to keep public spaces clean have been found unsuccessful as they cannot tackle the largest sources of pollution, which comes from garbage dumped by local residents. Other measures such as small levies on retailers that were implemented in South Africa did not prompt the desired change in consumer behaviour.

Measures such as social pressure, public-private partnership and voluntary agreements, generally have limited effects without strict government regulation. Other instruments, such as price increases, are slower in generating results. They also tend to increase inequality, as the affluent can still afford the polluting goods, now more expensive, but those at the bottom of the distribution may find themselves without options. As long as the demand for polluting goods continues, the incentives to find alternatives will be less. This means that although some reduction in plastic consumption will likely be achieved, a true change in consumer behaviour is less likely to happen.

However, bans are not free of problems. Evidence shows that bans without sufficient consultation may cause dissatisfaction in residences, and result in undesired consequences, such as what happened when the government of Rwanda banned all plastic bags in 2008. No longer after that, people started smuggling plastic bags and a lucrative black market emerged.

In addition, the existing data and reports seem insufficient to support the policy strongly. One key problem is that we still do not have a perfect substitute of plastics, which is one of the main concerns by opponents to the ban. The evidence also shows that although more than 60 countries have introduced bans and levies to curb single-use plastics, only 30% reported drastic drops in single-use plastic consumption. Furthermore, we need to know more about the impact of these measures on the countries' economy and people's welfare. There is also a need for more data on Canada's plastic production and disposal. In a word, credible analysis of the economic benefits, including the impact on people's welfare as well as a report of reliable alternatives are needed before putting the policy into practice.

Conclusion

Neither simple bans nor actions without bans are good solutions, rather a combination of these actions seems the best approach. Banning single-use plastics offers a strong assurance of reduced plastic waste, but detailed research should be done to determine which specific product is to be banned, what are the substitutes and what the economic benefits or losses are. Sufficient consultation and education will increase compliance with the policy. Specifically, allowing for a transitional period will contribute to reducing some of the negative effects of production and consumption. It would be helpful to maintain the public informed of the progress made. In the long term, we also need a well-developed plastic waste management system to manage the remaining waste better.

Reference

[1] Bilefsky, Dan. "Canada Plans to Ban Single-Use Plastics, Joining Growing Global Movement." The New York Times. The New York Times, June 10, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/world/canada/single-use-plastic-ban.html. [2] "Environmental Issues." ThoughtCo. ThoughtCo, May 22, 2019. http://environment.about.com/.

[3] Data Source: Geyer, Jambeck, and Law, 2017
[4] Geyer, Roland, Jenna R. Jambeck, and Kara Lavender Law. "Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made." Science Advances. American Association for the Advancement of Science, July 1, 2017. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782.full. [5]"Feeding the Plastic Planet Minute by Minute: Anthropocene the Plasticscene." Bellona.org, January 17, 2019. https://bellona.org/news/industrial-pollution/2019-01- feeding-the-plastic-planet-minute-by-minute-anthropocene-the-plasticscene.
[6] Haudenoshouty. "My Family Would Have Less Plastic Waste If We Didn't Rely on Bottled Water for Fresh Drinking Water on Reserve Https://T.co/eZCGKYak8F." Twitter. Twitter, June 10, 2019. https://twitter.com/MOHAWKEMOTIONS/status/1138215783706705922?ref_src=twsrc^tfw |twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1138215783706705922&ref_url=https://www.cbc.ca/news /indigenous/single-use-plastic-bottle-water-advisories-first-nations-1.5176370.
[7]"The Single-Use Plastics Dilemma: Perceptions and Possible ..." Accessed October 10, 2019. https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/management/News/News & Events/Single-Use-Plastics-June-6-2019-EN.pdf.
[8]"Canada to Ban Harmful Single-Use Plastics and Hold Companies Responsible for Plastic Waste." Prime Minister of Canada. Accessed October 10, 2019. https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2019/06/10/canada-ban-harmful-single-use- plastics-and-hold-companies-responsible.
[9] Beresford, Nick, Moeko Saito Jensen, George Edgar, Maria Sargren, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Development Programme, and Head of European Union Delegation. "Our Plastic Problem Is out of Control. Here's How We Can Fight It." World Economic Forum. Accessed October 10, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/how-to-fight-our-plastic-problem/.
[10] Climate Change Canada. "Government of Canada." Canada.ca. Government of Canada, August 8, 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change.html.
[11] Climate Change Canada. "Government of Canada." Canada.ca. Government of Canada, June 5, 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing- pollution/publications/plastic-waste-report.html.

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Single-use plastics: Do we need to ban them?

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The moment is right to discuss plastic use in Canada. Touching all corners of our lives, plastic products, most of which are used only once and thrown away, have been extremely prevalent in recent decades. The majority of this plastic waste ends up in the ocean and threatens the lives of marine creatures, costing billions of dollars in losses to governments and organizations.

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Carling: Stop using plastic rings that kill animals!

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TOKYO -- Japan's Environment Ministry plans to introduce subsidies for companies that make biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastic products, as part of a global push to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in the world's seas.

The ministry has requested 5 billion yen ($45 million) in funding for the subsidy for fiscal 2019. It will decide the amount each company will receive based on the types and volume of products they make.

Japan produces the second-highest amount of single-use plastic per person in the world, trailing only the U.S. But both countries remain the only members of the Group of Seven not to sign last year's Ocean Plastics Charter, a nonbinding agreement that sets targets for recycling and recovering plastic waste.

Tokyo faced criticism for holding out. Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa said the government did not have enough time to consult with Japanese industry before the charter was adopted at the G-7 summit in Canada.

Papermakers and others are developing alternatives to plastic straws, but are not yet ready to start mass production. The use of bioplastics -- an alternative to petroleum-based plastics -- in bags and food containers remains limited as well, since the material costs several times more to produce.

Japanese companies are wary of embracing hard targets on reducing plastic waste. The ministry believes the subsidy will be more effective in helping industry overcome cost concerns than the regulation-heavy approach taken by the European Union.

While preparing subsidies, the Environment Ministry also plans to issue its own numerical targets by the end of this year for reducing single-use plastic.

The restaurant industry is already making moves away from these products. U.S.-based coffee chain Starbucks has announced the same goal. McDonald's is adopting paper straws at its stores in the U.K. and Ireland. Tokyo-based restaurant group Skylark Holdings will stop using plastic straws by 2020.

About 13 million tons of plastic wash into the oceans every year, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Environmental and other damage from plastic waste costs the world about $13 billion a year, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says.

Japan's government proposes making ocean pollution a theme of the 2019 Group of 20 summit, to be held in Osaka.

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Plastic straws headed for reduction in Japan

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TOKYO -- Japan's Environment Ministry plans to introduce subsidies for companies that make biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastic products, as part of a global push to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in the world's seas. The ministry has requested 5 billion yen ($45 million) in funding for the subsidy for fiscal 2019.

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Harmful Effects of Plastic Water Bottles

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Bottled water is a common and popular product in the United States. This is due to both its availability and its taste. Unfortunately, the tap water in many of our homes and offices contains chemicals and metals that create an unpleasant taste-and often a foul smell.

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Single-use plastic and Styrofoam containers wreak havoc on the environment and imperil marine animals and wildlife. More than five trillion particles of plastic clog our world's oceans, according to the PLOS One report. And Americans are doing their share to contribute to the problem, tossing out more than 33 million tons of plastic - including 175 million straws each day. On behalf of Friends of Animals, an international non-profit domestic and wildlife advocacy organization, and its 6,000 members in Connecticut, we urge the state lawmakers to support the proposed bills that eliminate and restrict these wasteful plastics.

Plastic marine debris adversely affects at least 267 species globally, including 86 percent of sea turtles, 44 percent of seabirds and 43 percent of marine mammals.

Sea turtles, for example, readily consume plastic bags because they look so much like jellyfish. And seabirds are prone to ingesting microplastic debris that floats. The ingestion of plastic particles can lead to impairment of feeding capacity due to blockage of the digestive system, decreased mobility, reduction of reproductive capacity, infection, suffocation and starvation.

Aquatic plastic debris not only affects animals, it can alter their habitat. As debris accumulates, habitat structure may be modified, light levels may be reduced in underlying waters and oxygen levels depleted.

Friends of Animals' headquarters in Darien is near a plethora of important coastal habitats, including beaches and dunes, coastal wetlands, shellfish reefs and freshwater wetlands. After a big rain, the coastline will be scattered with litter. Items such as coffee cups, single-use plastic carry-out bags, and produce bags that didn't make it to a garbage receptacle or that overflowed will eventually flow to Long Island Sound.

Many states and municipalities have already moved to banning single-use foam and plastics with proven results. Rahway, N.J., has long banned plastic-foam containers, and New York City has eliminated Styrofoam trays in all its public schools. That decision in 2013 eliminated 860,000 Styrofoam trays used per day in 1,800 schools. Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Dallas public schools have followed suit.

Austin, Cambridge, Chicago and Seattle that have banned single-use plastic carry-out bags and so have California and Hawaii.

Preliminary data in California has shown that plastic bags, both the banned and still legal variety, accounted for 3.1 percent of the litter collected from the state's beaches during the 2017 Coastal Cleanup Day, down from 7.4 percent in 2010, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Local municipalities within Connecticut, including Greenwich, Westport, Stamford and Norwalk, have moved in the right direction, banning single-use plastic bags. But a hodge-podge of rules in limited areas creates confusion and difficulties for consumers and businesses. On a state level, it doesn't make sense to allow the use of foam and plastics products of an indestructible material for just minutes by consumers, only to be discard into the environment where they stay for hundreds of years, endangering wildlife and human ecosystems.

It's time for Connecticut to ban all wasteful single-use plastics, including foam trays, plastic bags, and straws. #Give a Sip and stop the waste.
Priscilla Feral is President of Friends of Animals based in Darien. CTViewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. Read our guidelines and submit your commentary here.

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Give a sip: Stop harmful single-use plastics

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Single-use plastic and Styrofoam containers wreak havoc on the environment and imperil marine animals and wildlife. More than five trillion particles of plastic clog our world's oceans, according to the PLOS One report. And Americans are doing their share to contribute to the problem, tossing out more than 33 million tons of plastic - including 175 million straws each day.