If it looks clean, smells clean (and sounds clean! We should also try to give up plastic straws if we are capable of doing so. Then, the straw got stuck in the turtles nose after she/he tried to cough the straw back out. There are many uses for plastic that are not only reasonable but important, such as surgical gloves, or straws for people with disabilities. update email soon. Es gratis registrarse y presentar tus propuestas laborales. This leaves few other alternatives other than plastic straws. They suspect that it may add stress on the liver by introducing more pathogens into the body. If you are constantly feeling gassy, then you should definitely consider drinking beverages the old fashioned way. We do not know the full impact of microplastics exceeding the mass of plankton in the ocean. Without further due, here are the top 3 ways kids can help, Read More 3 Ways Kids can Help the EarthContinue, What Are Microplastics? When animals ingest plastic, it clogs up their digestive systems, which can easily choke or kill animals like birds or sea turtles. by TFK Kid Reporter Maria Suarez, 10 Bellaire, Texas Plastic straws should not be banned until we can find alternatives that are affordable, environmentally friendly, and acceptable for disabled people. 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. Straws have been found stuck in a sea turtle's nose and wedged in the stomachs of dead birds and dolphins. BY Rob Jordan, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, As Colorado River wanes, water supplies and ecosystems hang in the balance, Riverfront forest restoration can deliver outsized benefits, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, An AI solution to climate models gravity wave problem, Beavers will become a bigger boon to river water quality as U.S. West warms. They are a part of our modern lives, and we dont tend to think much about them. They also arent accepted by recycling facilities because they can jam recycling machinery (due to their small size). 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. 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 fuelderived plastic. Plastic utensils are convenient and straws are fun for kids, but much of that plastic eventually winds up in a landfill or as litter. If we ban single-use plastic straws we will have to turn to the dangerous alternatives.In source If youd like to learn more about how plastic straws negatively impact the environment, you can check out this article I wrote about the environmental impact of plastic straws. The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. Juan Cristobal Cobo/Bloomberg via Getty Images. 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. When you sip beverages through a straw you end up inhaling more air into your belly than you would otherwise. 2. Plastic straws are also the 6th most common trash item found during ocean cleanups. Recycling more plastic, more frequently, reduces its footprint. Plastic bags are a convenient way to carry our purchased goods when we go shopping. The country instituted the ban in 2013 to minimize livestock deaths. All rights reserved. Have some dirty clothes that you just wore today? The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, McDonalds swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Ill also go over whether or not plastic straw bans will actually help the environment, and explain everything else youll need to know. But you should also consider the other perspective what effect single-use bags have had on the local economy and product affordability. As it turns out, many microorganisms make moldable bioplastic polymers that are fully degradable. Stanford experts discuss the limitations of these bans and the potential for meaningful change. Straws made of plastic contribute to the pollution of our seas and streams. 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. 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 phthalate DEHP, as just one example from dozens, is often added to plastic goods like shower curtains and garden hoses to make them more flexiblebut was also found to be a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We are working hard to improve our content. Straws don't provide as much utility as bags, so for many this is an easy adjustment. Banning plastic straws is also increasingly popular. You as an individual have the power to make a gradual change in your community. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. And will a plastic straw ban actually be effective when it comes to saving our oceans and environment? Some microplastics are even small by design, like the microbeads used in facial scrubs or the microfibers in polyester clothing. You need to know what effects plastic bags have on the environment and health. Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health. And cracker plantswhich break, or crack, ethane molecules, a component of natural gas, into the chemical building blocks of plastic productsare energy intensive and highly polluting. Thats a promising start. 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. When the monsoon rains start, streets get waterlogged just after the first few minutes because the water cannot pass through clogged sewerage pipes. Not easy to recycle 7. To align with global efforts, India banned single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022. Though plastica chain of synthetic polymers, essentiallywas invented in. For the oceans sake, wed better hope so. Single-use plastics are a glaring example of the problems with throwaway culture. In the spirit of eliminating waste, plastic straws appeared to be a way to further the cause: straws aren't essential to the dining experience, and by banning them, oceans, streets, and general society would theoretically benefit. This measure should encourage people to switch to reusable alternatives. 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. the eight worst source of ocean plastic pollution, Impact of Plastic Bags on the Environment, non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources, Plastic Bag Degradation: What You Should Know, Serious Effects of Plastic Pollution on Human Health. This is due to the fact that the plastic tubes are far too lightweight to be recycled in an efficient manner. We need to make fully biodegradable polymers that are cost-competitive. 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 . Will Shifting to Reusable Straws Really Make a Difference? Here are 3 reasons why plastic straws should not be banned, explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner: For some people with disabilities, straws are the only way they can drink. 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. 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]. Greenwashing Alert: Chemical Recycling Isnt Actually Recycling. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic waste. 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. 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]. Reducing plastic use is the most effective means of avoiding this waste (and the impacts linked to plastic production and use). On other issues, from overfishing to deforestation, we have seen that consumer-facing companies like McDonalds, Unilever and Walmart can be exquisitely sensitive to the concerns of their customers. How exactly does the use of plastic do harm to the environment?Plastic has a very long half-life in the environment, during which it poses a danger to animals and spreads toxic chemicals.Additionally, plastic is a contributor to the warming of the planet.Nearly every type of plastic is manufactured using chemicals that are leftover from the manufacturing of fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming (gas, oil and even coal). You could either discuss with a store manager a possibility of bringing your own containers for these products. 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]. 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. It started with cardboard straws, but once plastic production in America increased, people realized it was quicker and cheaper to produce plastic straws. A calf had to be put down because of indigestion caused by 8 plastic bags in its stomach. 10 Reasons Why Plastic Straws Should Be Banned? Without proper education, few people would know the purpose of the ban, and they would continue using other single-use plastics which could be even worse for the environment. It was first invented in 1907 by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. It has been projected that, if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic in the ocean will outweigh the fish.