Plastic Bags

I. Why are plastic bags so common?

Becasue they are so cheap to produce, sturdy, plentiful, easy to carry and store.

II. In what other ways is plastic used?

Plastic bottles, pens, penaut butter jars, wrappings, etc…

III. What are the benefits of plastic bags?

Compared to paper grocery bags, plastic grocery bags consume 40 percent less energy, generate 80 percent less solid waste, produce 70 percent fewer atmospheric emissions, and release up to 94 percent fewer waterborne wastes, according to the federation.

 

IV. What are the dangers of plastic bags?

Plastic doesn't biodegrade. The inks and colorants used on some bags contain lead, a toxin. There are a lot of animals that live on the bottom.. Only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide -- about 2 percent in the U.S. -- and the rest, when discarded, can persist for centuries. It takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. One of the main and most important dangers of plastic bags are the ones that stay on the floors of the sea, killing animals such as shrimp and sponges.

 

V. What has been done so far?

Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have heavily taxed the totes or banned their use outright. Several other regions, including England and some U.S. cities, are considering similar actions.

 

VI. Has it been successful? Why or why not?

So far those efforts have resulted mostly in a mass of confusion.

Tony Lowes, director of Friends of the Irish Environment in County Cork, said the 15 cent tax on plastic bags introduced there in March 2002 has resulted in a 95 percent reduction in their use. "It's been an extraordinary success," he said.

a. What are some of the potential benefits of charging fees for and/or banning plastic bags?
· People would adapt to use reusable bags
· It would help the environment.
· With the money they get from charging plastic bags, they could help clean up lakes and bays.

b. What are some of the potential drawbacks of such programs?
- The industry would bankrupt.
· It will increase costs and affect businesses.
c. Which benefits and drawbacks seem the most compelling? Why?
The greatest benefit would be a cleaner environment, that would help the entire world.
The drawback would be the fact of the prices increasing and the crisis would stay the same.
d. Would you support a local law charging fees for (or banning) plastic bags? Why or why not?
Yes, because it would help the world and all our enviornment.

1. Do you agree with this new law? Why or why not?
Yes, I really support it. I think that the plastic industry is important but not as Planet Earth, is where we live and if we ruin it we will have nothing else.
2. What has been done so far?
Bimbo company already started a project in which all of it's new plastic packaging is oxo-biodegradable and contains an additive made by the British Company Symphony Technologies.

In Mexico City the plastic bags in every store, should be banned in less than a year. They say that maybe this will be an example to the rest of the country.
3. What needs to be done to enforce such a law?
Both, people and stores should start recycling and really supporting the law. If we would all do it, it would be a huge change for the world.
4. What campaigns would you suggest?
Making society concious about the problem, I think it would help. Because people really don´t know how much bad to earth the bags do. So they just don´t care.