...UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA CRITICAL THINKING CBEB1108 PLASTIC BAG SHOULD BE BANNED WHAT IS PLASTIC BAG? Plastic bag is used to carry item especially from store to home. Most of the time plastic bag is used for storage and trash in common. Plastics are made from non-renewable natural resources such as crude oil, gas and coal. IMPACT The impact of plastic bags on the environment is enormous. As of August 2010, between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are being used each year worldwide. Approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die every year because they either mistake the bags for food or get strangled in them, says Natural Environment. In Australia, 50 million garbage bags end up as litter yearly, and the "plastic soup" patch floating in the Pacific Ocean is twice the size of the continental United States. It is roughly 80 percent plastic, according to The Independent, a British newspaper. What exactly the impact of reusable bag usage in the U.S. is far from clear. Even though, according to the website Earth 911, reusing or recycling one ton of plastic means the equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved. ALTERNATIVE As we can see nowadays grocery chain carries cheap reusable grocery bags and more upscale bags are available in practically all chain stores. In addition, many people sew their own from leftover fabric or by converting old jeans or beach towels into personalized carry-on bags, which is fun and creative way to recycle. POTENTIAL ...
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...phase out the use of single use plastic shopping bags LD 325 An Act to phase out the use of single use plastic shopping bags One hundred and sixty thousand plastic bags are used globally every second of every day. China, a country of 1.3 billion, consumes three billion plastic bags daily, or one trillion ninety five billion per year, according to China Trade News. (Plastics News) In 1965, Celloplast came up with the design on which all modern plastic shopping bags are based: a tube of plastic sealed at the bottom to allow for the packaging of goods, an open top to insert such items into the bag and handles for convenient carrying. This bag is commonly known as the T-shirt bag or single use plastic shopping bag. By the end of 1985, 75% of U.S. grocery stores carried plastic bags in addition to paper ones, and today, plastic bags have secured more than 80% of the grocery and convenience store market. When Exxon Mobile introduced these bags to the U.S. in the late 1970’s they were immediately met with controversy. Not only were people worried about the environmental impact of the plastic, but suburban shoppers preferred paper bags that would stand upright in the trunks of their cars, while city folk liked the handles on the plastic bags to carry on their walk home. Plastic bags won the minds and hearts of business owners worried about their bottom line. (Petru) Plastic bags are much cheaper to purchase than paper by up to 4 times. The plastic is also waterproof and can hold...
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...War on Plastic Bags The battle between individuals who are committed to saving environment and those who seem not to be as interested has become a bigger battle. Our environment is changing whether we see it or not, the ecological footprint that humans are leaving is becoming greater. More impactful to the wildlife causing noticeable changes that is harming rather than helping. These impacts revolve around trying to sustain a lifestyle that as Americans we have grown accustom to. Around the late 50’s the first “Baggies” for sandwiches were introduced. Slowly after that the use of plastic as bags began to increase and increase. Consumers took a liking to the use of plastic bags and the production and use of them increased. This increase of usage of plastic bags has already created irreversible damage to our environment therefore plastic bags should be banned on a national level. Although there are some positives to using plastic bags, the negatives of using the bags out way the positives. Landfills are becoming filled with plastic bags waste, according to the Clean Air Council, “30,000 tons of waste is created from plastic bags each year”. Not only does plastic bags accumulate trash in landfills, they are seen more and more in the ocean and other water sources. “Plastic constitutes approximately 90% of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile”. All this plastic is affecting the ecosystems of the wildlife and the basic natural...
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...Dangers of plastic bags Plastic bags present various forms of dangers and hazards to human beings and the environment. To start with, pose a hygiene problem as their poor disposal leads to blockage of sanitary and drainage systems. This accelerates cases of water borne illnesses amongst people in the neighborhoods (Mathias, 2009). Moreover, the lack poor disposal of plastic bags affects agricultural activities as it hinders water penetration into the soil besides interfering with the formation of manure. To add to this, the photo-gradable plastics are easily broken down by light into chemicals that are harmful in nature (Bushnell, n.d). The production of the bags results into environmental pollution as chemicals emitted into the atmosphere interfere with the water and rainfall cycles. The manufacture of the bags is also viewed as wastage of natural resources as it depletes the quantities of petroleum that could have been potentially helpful in other areas (Vera, 2010). Animals are also negatively affected as consumption of plastic. Poor disposal results in death and suffocation for aquatic animals. Marine life is affected by plastic bags disposed into the sea, for instance the case spotted at the North of the Arctic Circle as well as the South close to the Falkland Islands (Moorthy, 2010). Studies indicate that plastic bags constitute 10 percent of waste deposited at the U.S coastline. Furthermore, the increased deposit of plastic bags at one location leads to increased...
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...Plastic Bags Don’t Suit You: A campaign to reduce plastic bag use Plastic bags, invented in the 1930s, were first introduced to super markets in 1977. In the following decades, they have spread all over the world. Currently, almost 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year (Warner, 2010). This waste can be considered as a symbol of consumerism. Meanwhile, it’s also the evidence of our ignoring the environment. In the past half century, efforts have been made to reduce or even eliminate the use of plastic bags. Until now, the global use of plastic bags has been on the rise, according to The Culvert Chronicles (2011). That’s why this national campaign needs to be launched. It’s time to declare a war against the plastic bags. And with the assistance of multiple cognitive theories, it’s not hard to win this war. Harm of massive plastic bag use Plastic bags are usually made from oil. In the US alone, an estimate that about 12 million barrels of oil were needed to meet the US citizens’ needs of 100 billion plastic bags in the year 2001 (Jenkins, 2011). And if we think about the global situation, the oil consumption resulted from modern society’s addiction to single-use plastic bags can be a major contributor to global warming (Khoo, H.H., & Tan, R.B.H., 2010). Moreover, oil is not renewable, and our attempts of finding new alternative energy haven’t been proved effective so far. Both manufacturing and recycling plastic bags generates toxic gases, like compounds of...
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...Plastic Bag Externalities Audrey Lee ECO305 January 2, 2014 Positive Externalities The positive externalities of plastic bags include the ability to be recycled into other plastic products, lower transportation costs, helping to prevent contamination of hazards. Plastic bags have affected the economy by making the bags cheaper than other bags so they are more readily available. Plastic bags produces 70% less air pollution and 50 times less water pollution than in production than paper bags, and plastic bags require less energy to produce from start to finish; therefore less money is spent on cleaning up the pollution. Plastic bags have greatly helped to reduce the contamination in the health field by allowing healthcare workers to keep contaminated agents from spreading, thus lower the cost of healthcare this is especially helpful in third world countries. Negative Externalities The negative externalities of plastic bags include the following: most plastic bags end up in the landfills, oceans or as litter, all chemicals used to create plastic bags are toxic, plastic bags take 20 to 1000 years to decompose, and kill animals. One of the biggest plastic bag externalities is that plastic bags have a short use life, they are generally used for the short time from the store to home and then discarded. The discarded bags take 20 to 1000 years to decompose but most landfills today are not designed to decompose the products being put into them, so these bags...
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...tax 5 II. THE LEVY ON PLASTIC BAGS IN IRELAND 8 II.1. Summary 8 II.2.The nature of the levy 10 II.3. Implementation and enforcement 12 II.4. Results and impacts 12 III. LESSON FROM PLASTIC BAGS LEVY IN IRELAND 17 III.1. Ireland’s lessons 17 III.2. Plastic bags levy in Vietnam: 19 CONCLUSION 23 REFERENCES 24 INTRODUCTION Now that people increasingly pay more attention to environmental issues, they are manifested in all areas of life. Air pollution? Do not worry. Already a car powered by electricity or eco-gasoline or even grass. Water pollution? Do not worry. Already advanced wastewater treatment technologies. So what if the pollution is caused by the consumption of plastic bags? Not easy to answer. Let’s stand in the shoes of a public economist. The consumption of plastic bags brings a lot of benefits for everyone. If you are a manufacturer of plastic bags, you will get a lot of money as your profit. If you are a consumer of plastic bags, you will be satisfied with the benefits that they bring you. They are cheap, very light and of course, very easy to throw away after used. Now the problem has arisen. Have you ever wondered where plastic bags will be after discarded? We can say for sure that they do not disappear. They stay and pollute the environment. Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik used to say: "The impact of this plastic waste can be seen littering our landscape, threatening our wildlife and accumulating as 'plastic soup' in the Pacific Ocean...
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...Why not to use Plastic bags As everyone knows the humble plastic bag has become an integral part of our lives. In fact the plastic bag has become so common that we hardly notice their presence. Yet if you look around you will notice that we are all in a swamp of plastic bags! They are everywhere. We use them to pack clothes, shoes, pens, tools, video games and even fruits and vegetables. At the super market they are soft yet strong packing medium. They are light weight, high strength and very flexible and come at a low cost. All of this might sound wonderful. But do you want to be a person who contributes to one of the latest and difficult of the environmental problems. The plastic bag is an agent of air pollution, cancer and skin disease. People who use these bags have made this an environmental menace which has made many of world's clean and glimmering metropolises a pile of garbage! Did you know they are a slow poison in our daily life? When you use plastic bag do you know how they are made? Many of the plastic bags at the super market are made through recycled plastic; this means the old plastic is burnt at high temperatures and melted down. For this process a large number of hazardous chemicals are used which makes them a severe health hazard. When you use a plastic bag you could be responsible for giving people who are close to you cancer, because when plastic bags and other plastic materials are burnt below 7,000 degrees they produce gasses which can lead to skin...
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...Plastic bags are distributed everywhere, from grocery to book stores. These bags have been used since the early 1850’s. One trillion plastic bags are produced each year, yet billions of these bags have ended up in landfills or on the streets and in the ocean. They are wasteful, destructive, and uneconomical. Plastic bags should be banned to protect ourselves and our environment. To begin, plastic bags are dangerous to children and wildlife. Every year, 25 children in America die due to suffocation from these bags. Likewise, many animals have died from plastic bags as well. Some bags float into the ocean and resemble jelly fish. Then, the bags enter the animal’s digestive system. In addition, the bags litter the streets and producing them pollutes the air. Many cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, have already banned plastic bags. However, plastic bags should be banned everywhere to help our children, animals, and environment. Furthermore, plastic bags waste numerous resources. They are made from a non-renewable source, petroleum. 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce these bags in the United States. In addition, fabric-made bags can be used numerous times, so factories do not have to produce as many. We are wasting many non-renewable sources by producing plastic bags instead of fabric bags. Banning plastic bags would save many of these sources for other products. Also, living without plastic bags would save numerous amounts of money. So why waste money...
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...Plastic Bags: Cause for Concern Todd Kuchelmeister May 30, 2012 As man continues to develop and his knowledge grows he will continue to be the dominate species on earth. His ability and desire for finding ways to make his life easier have produced many new and innovative things. From electricity to automobiles to fulfilling his dream of putting men on the moon, man has always strived to overcome those things which had earlier seemed impossible. However, with all new the developments that man has accomplished most have come with a downside for the environment. Electricity depending how you produce it has a downside, Nuclear energy comes with radioactive rods that take thousands of years to lose it radioactivity. Coal fired plants cause destruction of to the ecosystem and the emissions pollute the air. Solar and Wind are still in their infancy but their current issues seems mainly to be in the sheer numbers needed to produce enough electricity for an average sized city. One of mans greatest inventions was plastic, its invention back in 1855 called Parkesine has developed into mans most widely used products. Its invention has made man’s life not only easier but safer as well and is even used in the effort to keep people alive. However, as with all of man’s greatest inventions it has a dark side. Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC has phthalates that leech out of the PVC and into our bodies ("Life less plastic," 2007)....
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...The plastic bag tax, which went into effect January 1, 2010, was created after the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) conducted a study of the trash in the Anacostia River. Five cents is charged for each disposable bag used, rather than simply banning the bags altogether. Several people were interviewed for the article in the paper who admitted their reaction was a bit irrational. One man lugged six bottles of wine from the store to his car rather than pay for bags. A woman insisted on carrying her purchases with her hands, losing her dinner of sushi to the ground. Still others just drag their shopping cart full of loose groceries to their car. They found that disposable plastic bags made up nearly half the sources of litter...
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...When I went to Lake Michigan I saw a dead fish surrounded by plastic so I assumed it died from eating some plastic we need to stop plastic from killing. Fees discourage people from using plastic bags in that way recycling will become faster and easier,and that will stop the ocean and its sea creatures from suffering, we are also suffering because of that plastic. According to Emily J. Gertz at TakePart.com “In New York City disposable plastic grocery bags have become a common eyesore, well beyond the supermarkets, bodegas, and kitchen countertops”. The thin, crinkly sacks show up all over the city blowing along sidewalks, tangled around tree branches, floating in waterways washed up on beaches and sometimes even wrapped around turtles and...
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...distribution and use of plastic bags. Central Idea: The United States needs to impose a ban and/or a fine for the distribution and use of plastic bags on all states because of the devastation caused globally every year. Organizational Pattern: Problem Cause Solution Order Introduction: A. (Attention getter) When we throw something away, something as simple as a plastic bag, we often don’t think of where it will end up or the journey it takes to its permanent home. We don’t care what happens next; however, 86% of you stated, in my audience analysis, that we do need to be concerned with plastic pollution in Nebraska (Audience Analysis). (show plastic bag video) B....
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...Advertising Online Anti-action against Plastic Bags By Dilmurod Allaberdiev – 209110258 Sirojiddin Hamdamov - 209110230 and Sirojiddin Nomozboev – 209110259 Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia July 22, 2013 Advisor Miss Vino Thini, Introduction to Civil Society Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia Table of Contents: Summary 3 Introduction 3 Background of proposal 3 Statement of problem 3 Urgency of problem 4 Scope of the Proposed Solution 5 Original Elements 5 Products and Beneficiaries 6 Potential Benefits of Implementation 6 Methods And Procedures 7 Implementation Plan 7 Project Timeframe and Estimated Cost 8 Sourced Information and Sustainability 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 Appendices 13 Healthy Civil Society against Plastic Bags (Persuasive Action against Plastic Bags by Online Media) A Project Proposal Outline by Sirojiddin NOMOZBOEV, Dilmurod ALLABERDIEV and Sirojiddin HAMDAMOV 07 July 2013 1. SUMMARY This is a project proposal that aims to develop the knowledge of the people of Central Asia and the students of Albukhary International University (AIU) about plastic bags by showing disadvantages of the plastic bags. This proposal is realistic and can be completed within 24 days and maintain in the future. This proposal aims to produce the...
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...solution to solve the worldwide plastic bag problem? As time goes by, the situation with our planet becomes worse. People are the main cause of the already damaged environment and unfortunately a lot of them do not even realize that they harm their own home. One of the biggest problems that have deteriorated is the plastic bag problem. It is a growing menace to humans and the consequences of it can be very bad. For example, plastic bags are made of petroleum, and when used – they cause a lot of pollution. It is also known that each year, people throw away 4 billion plastic bags. Moreover, it takes a lot of time for plastic to break down in water or on land. All these facts together turn plastic bags into a serious threat. To solve this problem, I believe that the best solution is to use biodegradable plastic bags. There are several factors which make them an excellent alternative to regular plastic bags. First, they do not damage the environment during their cycle. Second, they only consist of natural materials, which allow them to compost perfectly with organic trash, such as liquids and leaves. Third, they do not harm wildlife. When swallowed by animals, they are quickly digested as they disintegrate. Finally, people who intend to use biodegradable plastic bags do not have to change anything in their kitchen as their usage is the same as regular plastic bags. As a conclusion, I am confident that the usage of biodegradable plastic bags can greatly help us in solving...
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