Plastic Bag Controversy

As awareness of the consequences regarding the use of plastic bags grows, more people are ditching them for reusable bags or paper. Plastic bags are made of polyethylene, derived from crude oil, and with the recent increase in U.S. fuel prices, the desire is even greater to lessen our reliance on plastic bags, and ultimately our foreign oil dependency. It is believed that, except for the 3-5% being recycled, all the plastic that's ever been created still exists on the planet. Because of its inability to completely break down or recycle easily, and due to its lightweight nature, the proliferation of plastic bags means quite a few fly or float into habitats that cause a great deal of permanent harm to native wildlife.

One such area is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a still-water area of the North Pacific Ocean. Captain Charles Moore, an ocean researcher, stated that due to photodegradation the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, eventually becoming ingested by sea life because of its resemblance to zooplankton. The industrial chemicals in the plastic then gets passed along in the food chain, causing a host of undesirable health problems—especially hormone disruption—for both creatures and humans.

Close to 1 trillion plastic bags are used every year. Great Britain alone consumes 13 billion plastic bags per year, being used only an average of 20 minutes before being thrown away.

There are defenders of the plastic bag industry. Stephen L. Joseph, an attorney in California, is head of the Save the Plastic Bag campaign. His arguments for continued use of plastic bags include the reasoning that paper is just as bad—if not worse—for the environment, and that the toxic dangers of plastics to sea life have not been conclusively proven, and that we should instead ban large-scale fishing, which causes more harm. And Philip Law, a director at the British Plastics Federation, concurs that the supposed facts around the hazards of polyethylene need to be verified. He touted the minimal amount of energy needed to produce the bags and the ability for it to be recycled.

Nonetheless, many countries are taking action by banning their use or imposing a fee. As people become increasingly concerned with the growing evidence against the use of plastic bags, communities are deciding that reusable bags seems to be the best solution in the long run.

Additional reading:

Pocono Record: Plastic Bag facts and figures

Time Magazine: The Patron Saint of Plastic Bags

UK Independent: Polyethylene's Story—The Accidental Birth of Plastic Bags

Holistic Future's Previous Post: Plastic Ocean

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