banning plastic bags is great for the world, right

The larger takeaway is that no bag is free of environmental impact, whether thats contributing to climate change, ocean pollution, water scarcity, or pesticide use. Thats where this gets interesting. The adverse impacts of plastic bags are undeniable: When theyre not piling up in landfills, theyre blocking storm drains, littering streets, getting stuck in trees, and contaminating oceans, where fish, seabirds, and other marine animals eat them or get tangled up in them. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Were trying to get these deep dives a little bit shorter so you can listen to the whole thing during your commute or workout or walking your grandpa or what have you, and also make it a little bit more manageable for our team. And buy the thinnest reusable bag that you know, youll actually reuse. [wrong buzzer, rewind] Cracker? And an estimated 10 million tons of plastic are discarded in the ocean yearly. Obtain that grain. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. Still, many environmentalists argue that plastic is worse than paper. Nakuru, Kenya In the open-air Wakulima Market thin plastic shopping bags have disappeared, banished by Kenya's national bag ban. You can try, but nine times out of ten, its going to rip your original in half. So have at least 88 localities in California, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus cities and towns in more than a dozen other states and more than a dozen other countries. Wow, that was a tough one. And these different dimensions? The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic. Waste in particular, plastic packaging, how it is used, how it gets discarded. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. Plastic bag bans havent fixed the entire problem where theyve been implemented. As such, many people suggest accompanying measures to distribute free reusable bags, and the tax could even be used to raise the money to make that happen. Over Half of the Worlds Penguin Species Are Threatened, A New Natural Gas Project in Mozambique Gives Locals All of the Costs and None of the Benefits. How do we make polyethylene? debut in season five. This really needs to be top priority. TAYLOR: Yeah, I think one thing that stands out, when we think about plastic bags, and when we think about sort of packaging, in general, is that theres this perception that its free, that theres no price, and that you can you know, youre not paying for the plastic bags that you use, thats not actually true, you actually do pay for the plastic bags that you use at the supermarket. I hardly know her! In fact, eight states have gone so far as to ban single-use plastic bags, and over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or. How Are Muskoxen Faring in a Changing Climate? Because with any product, its important to think about all those three dimensions, can we as consumers reduce the amount that were using? . And to be fair, it is an issue. Its the same you know, it gets rolled into the price of your groceries the same way that youre paying for the cashiers, and the store workers and the age back and all of that you are paying for your plastic bags, but you dont see that what we call marginal cost per plastic bag. And so whats really interesting is just adding a small price to each, each bag, you know, five cents, we see really large behavioral changes just with that small price. Increasingly, environmentalists are pushing for laws that include fees for all single-use bags, and that require paper bags to be made with recycled content, which could lower their carbon footprint. Its what we put in the bag at the grocery store that really matters., 2023 Cond Nast. Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. Youre being ridiculous. ETHAN: I think this paper that you did goes to a larger conversation about plastic because we do often zero in on specific products, will complain about straws or about bags or about bottles. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. Whats more? Single-use plastics seem to be disappearing. But advocates of these laws and journalists who cover the issue often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Washington, DCs government estimates that its 5-cent bag tax has led to a 60 percent reduction in the number of these bags being used, although that figure is contested by other sources. Now, there are a few challenges to implementing a monetary policy like this. Because of that, the climate impact of a cotton tote is 131 times that of a plastic bag, and its overall environmental impact is thousands of times worse. If you melt a plastic bag down, you can absolutely recycle that polyethylene, and in fact, recycled high-density polyethylene has about a third of the carbon footprint of virgin high-density polyethylene. [deep echoey filter] ITS INSATIABLE! What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast Thats right, go get that bag. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. And all of these materials do better? Or is it a little too nuanced to make that type of assessment? ETHAN: And the list of policy approaches goes on and on. How many plastic bags are replaced by one cotton tote bag? Saying go to your room doesnt actually solve anything, but hey, its easier than having an intelligent conversation with a six-year-old. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. If your chief concern is climate change, things get even muddier. Again. Design and build by Upstatement. New York's ban will take effect in 2020 but will apply to single-use plastic bags you can get at grocery stores or retailers. Anything thats not zero gets, you know a pretty big impact. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Start with your washing machine. So that means fewer animals getting entangled over time which is good, but unfortunately, it also means plastic bags take a lot less time to become microplastics. California became the first to introduce regulations banning single-use plastic bags in August 2014. And do you think that it is more broadly true that cracking down on one specific plastic product can have rebound effects with other plastic products, or is this maybe a more isolated case that you found? For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids flow. All of these policies give consumers a little more freedom, but try to nudge them in the right direction through small fees or rewards in the 5 to 15 cent per bag range. I mean, throw some Dijon on there and youve got lunch! That's why any good plastic bag ban attempts to avoid a surge in paper bag use by also implementing a paper bag fee, ideally nudging shoppers to bring bags from home instead. Remember when I said petrochemical facilities use natural gas for electricity? Then Christmas is for you. Reader support helps sustain our work. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. ETHAN: Seven of those 16 projects were related to ethylene or polyethylene, including the five highest polluters of the group. Americans consume more than 10 billion paper bags annually, which is equivalent to 14 million trees. Because we do see such a strong response of having to pay for your bag, when you have to pay for your bag, it makes it an active decision, instead of just default, getting a whole bunch of bags that you dont really think about, we find that bag taxes are actually as effective as bag bans, and getting people to change their behavior, potentially without some of the unintended consequences of completely eliminating an option making people switch to other bags, which might actually be more harmful for the environment. Recently, many politicians were in such a hurry to ban plastic bags. ETHAN: Given all this nuance weve explored pertaining to carry out bags, grocery bags, is there any advice you have for individuals who want to do their part? Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. ITS COMPOSTABLE! Natasha Mascarenhas. Heres just one tiny example: Does the paper for paper bags come from a recycled paper mill on Staten Island or a virgin forest in northern Canada? Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. Not So Fast." The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running. But that tiny switch makes it so people dont feel different or left out if they dont have a straw. Have a listen. To help combat this waste, several American states have enacted bans on plastic grocery bags. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise. But thats not to say plastic bag recycling couldnt be more widely implemented. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. Facebook, Follow us on Not So Fast. Heres Why That Matters. Featuring special guest Dr. Rebecca Taylor, Senior Lecturer of Economics at the University of Sydney. The Supreme Court Has Delayed Its Abortion Pill Decision. TAYLOR: Yeah, I would love to see the conversation, sort of move more. Despite the good intentions of these new rules, plastic bag bans are problematic for a few reasons. Plastic is a toxin that stays in the environment, marine animals ingest it, and it enters their bodies and then ours.. ITS COMPOSTABLE! READ MORE. High costs for cleanup 8. So if its something thats easy to keep in your car, or in your purse or in your backpack that you know youll reuse, then thats going to be the bag for you. Some are funded by plastic industry groups, like the ironically named American Progressive Bag Alliance. And so this was an unintended consequence of the policy. Here's How. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. Scientists are working on that, and according to a 2021 thesis study from LUT University in Finland, if that process were powered by clean energy, plastic bags made from carbon dioxide could actually be carbon negative. Theyre just not very effective. Its like time outs. Whereas the small taxes are very effective. Ironic.plastic is still better than cloth, but it just has to be more than single-use. ITS INSATIABLE! Spoiler alert: plastics parents got divorced at age eleven and it still isnt over it. In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. Some social justice activists who work in low-income urban neighborhoods or communities of color also argue that plastic bags are a particular scourge. Of those 48, 16 had publicly available air pollution data, so I took a look at that group. NADJA: Will you at least go and talk to it? In some cases, people start buying more plastic trash bags now that they cant use their grocery bags to store trash. Why Banning Plastic Grocery Bags Could Be A Bad Move : NPR Heres Dr. Taylor discussing some of her research on that front. But what if reusable bags arent good either? Australia has had a plastic bag ban since 2018. A pound of cotton requires more than 5,000 gallons of water on average, a thirst far greater than that of any vegetable and even most meats. A single mom, or someone working two jobs, is more likely to have to do her shopping in a rush on the way home from work than to go out specifically with a tote bag in hand. NADJA: After much deliberation, Nandor and I have invited a new resident into the house. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. And so my recommendation is to use as few bags as you can reuse the ones that you do purchase and purchase your bags, make it an active decision. Its been more than five years since single-use plastic bags like these were banned from grocery stores, a ban advocates say made strides for the environment. And thats actually increasing the carbon footprint. (The crunchy rich should already have more than enough tote bags from PBS and Whole Foods.). Spoiler alert: plastics parents got divorced at age eleven and it still isnt over it. Any time someone needs bags, make a trip to the back to get them and have them wait. Now thats just one set of data, but I hope my point is clear: the production of our plastic bags causes harmful air pollution, and that pollution disproportionately hits low income and minority communities. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? You can conceive of the possibility of collecting plastic bags from the ocean, but microplastics are almost impossible to remove from their environments. [end filter] Never mind, that was underwhelming. Three reasons why banning plastic bags is problematic - The Conversation Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. Even studies conducted with the purest of intentions depend on any number of assumptions. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the US, particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. Many supermarkets have experimented with bag bonuses trying to get people to reuse their either bags by giving them five cents, and they havent found them to be particularly effective. Not good places to be adding more polluting facilities. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. I know it sounds silly, but it would make a difference. Every so often, our star fires off a plasma bomb in a random direction. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. ETHAN: Clips today came from 23 ABC News. I hope at least one of those cracked you up. Then, that ethylene can be sent to a new plant where theyll add a catalyst which initiates a chemical reaction and forms our high-density polyethylene. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. Another entirely different approach could be making plastic bags more sustainable. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. [wild west sting] Once ethylene is turned into plastic, its not harmful, youre not going to get a disease just by touching a plastic bag, unless its March 2020 when every cashier in America was convinced thats how Covid spreads. And if not, then maybe totes arent the best alternative. Proposition 67, also known as SB270, officially passed in November 2016, prohibits plastic bags . How do we do that? A Canadian Gas Field Is Polluting First Nation Communities, How Climate Change, Poverty, and Social Stigma Affect Menstrual Hygiene. Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, California, a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. Cities and states across the country are banning plastic bags, but those bans may be having unintended consequences. YouTube. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Thats right, I said it. "Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For The World, Right? It argues that while banning plastic bags may be good for the environment, it is not as simple as it seems. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. Or, another idea, what if plastic could be made directly from carbon dioxide that we suck from the atmosphere? Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast You get merch, bonus content, and more. So thats exactly what I did. There are also some challenges regarding the design of such a policy, as Dr. Taylor explains. Ad Choices, Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? In Staten Island, perhaps? LASZLO: What I want to know is why I wasnt consulted in inviting this creature into our home. When the plastic bags were banned in California, paper bags were still allowed with the feet. Back to those three Rs we learned when we were in elementary school, the reduce the Reuse and Recycle. Eastern Hemlocks Are Declining. Grist is the only award-winning newsroom focused on exploring equitable solutions to climate change. So when you do lifecycle assessments of these two different types of material, paper bags end up being much worse on sort of their upstream, the manufacturing side, so its a bit concerning to also see the shift to paper. Im your host, Ethan Brown. And so I was interested in understanding to what degree does a patchwork of policies actually lead customers to switch where theyre shopping. So I usually recommend considering a bag tax first. The court has given itself a deadline extension until late Friday night to decide whether mifepristone should remain legal. But not just anywhere. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. And in particular, stores start offering thicker plastic bags and sticker paper bags for free. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? All that said, paper is made from trees, meaning paper bags contribute to deforestation. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. In fact, we can take it a step further. Major funding forPeril and Promiseis provided byDr. P. Roy Vagelos and Diana T. Vageloswith additional funding from Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III,and the Estate of Worthington Mayo-Smith. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Do local governments get to say how these products are regulated? Some social justice activists who work in low-income urban neighborhoods or communities of color also argue that plastic bags are a particular scourge. Cotton is a crop that requires massive amounts of water and energy to produce. Throwing This Out Here: Plastic Bags Are Amazing and You Should Appreciate Them More, Trash Is Ugly, But Recycling Is Downright Beautiful. In fact, 79 percent of microplastics sampled in the marine environment originated from polyethylene specifically. Theyre less than five millimeters across and they are everywhere, from the oceans to mountaintops to the Arctic to our food and blood. This paper in particular was interested in a California policy, which is a ban on thin plastic, carry out bags, and a fee for paper bags of about 10 cents, usually, sometimes five cents. I personally dont care much what kind of bag my groceries are in, Id even take a Hello Kitty bag if it meant my eggs got home without breaking, but Im sure some people really love their plastic bags, and for those that do, this is certainly an intriguing possibility. California and Hawaii banned them, then New York. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. In addition to being my celebrity couple name with a girl named Polly, polyethylene is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. So some of my recent research was looking at to what extent do we actually see border shopping occur? In fact, every region of the US has a different energy mix. out of class essay 1 - OUT OF CLASS ESSAY Banning plastic bags is great Problematic degradation 4. Polyethylene, however, is recyclable. A single mom, or someone working two jobs, is more likely to have to do her shopping in a rush on the way home from work than to go out specifically with a tote bag in hand. I know youve done some comparisons on different strategies and looked at this more holistically. TAYLOR: So an interesting thing with local policies, and theres a lot of debate about whether policies like these should be implemented at the state level or at the local level. ETHAN: That new ban was signed into law on September 30, and the fact that it was in the news goes to show that even with all the other things going on in the world, people are paying attention to this issue. Yeet that wheat. So paper bag usage did increase quite a bit. I mean, look at all the kids roaming the streets looking for water after eating a single Saltine. Plastic is a toxin that stays in the environment, marine animals ingest it, and it enters their bodies and then ours.. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. ETHAN: Today we are talking about bags: a word that simultaneously means a container with an open top used for carrying things, a lot of money, and any goal youve ever had in your life. Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. The adverse impacts of plastic bags are undeniable: When theyre not piling up in landfills, theyre blocking storm drains, littering streets, getting stuck in trees, and contaminating oceans, where fish, seabirds, and other marine animals eat them or get tangled up in them. With respect to the bonuses we talked about. As plastic bag bans go into effect, some question the unintended Thats a border shopping behavior. Winters are becoming less and less predictable due to climate change, but you dont have to worry because the second you put on a long sleeve shirt and jeans, youll be hearing Mariah Carey blast on every radio in town. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. ITS PAPER. And I think part of what intrigues me is a sort of principle of like free market economics is that people are rational actors. In accordance with the budge bill passed last year, New York State retailers will be banned from doling out single-use plastic bags, starting on March 1. Cracker plants release air pollutants such as benzene which is linked to cancer and childhood leukemia, toluene which is linked to birth defects and brain, liver, and kidney problems, formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen, and particulate matter which is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and lung and bladder cancer. Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. And thats not purchasing garbage bags. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. But in terms of plastic, you are correct. Thats one idea that Ive seen floated all over the internet. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. If youre singularly focused on eliminating plastic bags, theres a level of convenience from a policymaker standpoint thats tempting. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Plastic Bags Are a Problem. Are Plastic Bag Bans a Solution? - PBS Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker?
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