Saying “No” to Plastic Bags

Saying “No” to Plastic Bags
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Saying “No” to Plastic Bags
Introduction
Plastic bags are popular among shoppers and retailers largely due to their convenience and strength. It is estimated that annual plastic bag production ranges between 4 to 5 trillion bags most of which are for one time usage. However, plastic bags especially those below 50 micron in thickness are most popular but less recycled. According to Planet Ark foundation (2012) plastic bags poses a threat to wild animals, livestock, birds and also marine life. In most cases, these bags are often ingested by animals. This creates the need to take actions in a bid to help reduce the use of plastic bags. With most of the plastic bags being used by shoppers, the retail industry is clearly one of the important starting point for intercession in an effort to reduce the usage of plastic bags. In order to reduce the dangers posed by plastic bags Earth Resource Foundation is looking for public support and commitment to use paper bags instead of polythene bags, to recyle and ensure safe and proper disposal methods, proper storage of polythene at hand and creating awareness from producer to consumer chain.
As a non-governmental organization, Earth Resource Foundation (ERF) has been working closely with government agencies to educate the public about the negative effects of plastic bags, provide means for the public to make a difference, provide information regarding alternatives and develop grassroot organizations to help promote an anti-consumption behavior among the public (ERF, n.d). Founded in 1999, ERF has in the past participated in programs that empowers general population with necessary resources that enhance them to make choices that leads to sustainable environment. This has been achieved through events, campaigns seminars as well as awareness walks (ERF, n.d).
Use of paper bags as opposed to polythene bags
Although proponents of plastic products, among them manufacturers of oil and petroleum products, believe that there are enough deposits of natural resources to last for generations, natural resources diminish at a faster rate, compared to their regeneration. Plastic bags consist of polyethylene, a synthetic substance derived from petroleum and natural gas. Plastic bags result in the depletion of these natural resources, which are non-renewable. Compared to green bags or paper bags, plastic bags consume more than four and a half times energy in order to produce (Sharp, Hoj & Wheeler, 2010). More than 12 million barrels of oil are used in producing the amount of plastic bags used in one year in the U.S. alone (Green & DeMeo, 2012). You can imagine how many barrels it takes to manufacture plastic bags used globally. Unlike polythene bags, paper bags can be produced from recycled paper may help reduce the ever increasing burden on the natural resources. Thus, by using paper bags one will not only easing the burden f pollution on the environment but also conserving the resources used in manufacture of polythene bags.
Recycling
There is a popular slogan used by environmentalists regarding plastic bags, which is “3R”, meaning reduce, recycle and reuse. These methods are not as effective as theoretically implied. This means there is a lot that needs to be done to improve the rate of plastic bags recycling. Whilst all recyclable plastics are faced with low re-usage and recycling rates, plastic bags are the most affected. We recycle less than 1% of plastic bags globally because many types of plastics are not easily recyclable (Green & DeMeo, 2012). However, according to the Wall Street Journal, only 1% of these bags is recyclable. Therefore, at an individual level, there is an opportunity of turning this around by increasing the level of recycling every time one uses a polythene bag rather than throwing it away.
Safe and proper disposal methods
Disposing plastic bags, through the formal solid waste and the litter system, is a common practice used in many countries to manage the effects of using plastic bags. The effectiveness of this strategy is largely insignificant, given the magnitude of the problem posed by plastic bags (Mattila, Kujanpaa, Dahlbo, Soukka & Myllyma, 2011). The disposal of plastic bags through landfills and liter system may be used as a short term solution to the problem they pose both to humans and the environment.
However and as aforementioned, these plastic bags end up occupying large spaces and in worst scenarios end up being logged in our water systems. In this context, plastic bags cause a problem to the environment in terms of pollution and are in many cases a factor behind clogging and flooding. In most cases, people use plastic bags for a maximum of 12 minutes before they dispose them. Upon disposal, the paper bag stays in the environment for hundreds of years. In some states that lack strict environmental law enforcements, plastic bags cause a major problem. They are easily blown by the wind, da...