"Battle of the Bag"
Why Should You Care About Plastic Bags?
Plastic
Bags and Their Impact
Every
item we use in our day-to-day lives impacts the environment one way or another.
One item that has been making headlines for many years is the plastic bag. The
plastic bag was invited in the 1950's by Mobil Oil and ever since then it has
been a staple in the shopping culture. These bags are made of oil that is
processed into polyethylene. This makes plastic bags impossible to decompose,
taking anywhere from 400-1,000 years. Due to the fact that they take so long to
disintegrate plastic bags end up all over in all different sorts of ecosystems
causing massive repercussions. Some of the effects are, animals eating plastics
and dying in places like Delhi India where cows roam free, the cows wonder into
dumps and eat the food covered plastics. In turn this back up their intestines
killing them. Other effects include the releasing of micro-plastics into bodies
of water, sewage blockages that induce flooding, contamination of soil, and so
much more.
One specific impact that many do not know about is the
outbreak of Malaria in Nairobi, Kenya. It may seem confusing how plastic bags
can cause a disease to spread but it is the everyday reality for many. It is
common to use discarded bags as a toilet and defecate in them. They have coined
the term "flying toilets" since the earth’s natural elements cause
the defecation to then be spread around. Since there is so much plastic waste
in Nairobi it blocks many water ways and also contaminates the water due to the
"flying toilets". This in turn creates a breeding ground for Malaria
carrying mosquitos because of the stagnant dirty water with feces.
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The
"Misunderstanding" of Plastic Bags
Some may argue that plastic bags are “misunderstood,” it is said that
plastic bags are good for the economy and promote consumers to buy more. It is
debated that they are not a problem and plenty of other industries cause waste
and pollution too. People also fight that plastics bags only take up about 4%
of production in the oil industry. At the end of the thought the effects of
plastics bags are taking lives of not only animals but also humans too. We need
to adopt the saying “Sustainable development is the development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.” - Gro Harlem Brundtland.
There's
Still Hope
Although it may seem like we as a society are at the point of no return,
this isn't true. There are many proactive measures that can be taken. One city that
has taken matters into their own hands in Mumbai, India. After a severe
flooding that was worsened by plastic bags blocking the sewers and costing
human lives bags were banned. Not just bags were banned though, all single usen
thin plastics became illegal. They also implemented an anti-bag police squad
that goes store to store and checks for single use bags. If a store is caught
with plastic that does not meet the standards, they are fined, and the plastic
is confiscated. Mumbai is not the only place taking action on this serious
crisis many have taken matters into their own hands too. If we all begin to
pitch in, we can help not only planet earth but ourselves.
My
Thoughts
In my own personal opinion, I feel that we need to
start solving this issue on a local level. As great as it would be to have a
nationwide ban on plastic bags it is unfortunately quite unrealistic. However,
if we were to start fighting this within our town of Milwaukee it would pave
the way for other surrounding cities in Wisconsin to take action. From this
point on it would just become a domino effect. Milwaukee is already taking
steps by banning single use plastics in county owned facilities and parks. Now
we need to focus on the shopping centers and grocery stores as they are the
main contributor to the use of plastic bags. I feel that we can easily phase
them out by simply taking away the bags, forcing customers to bring their own.
One store has been doing this since the day they opened, Aldi, they make their customers
reusable bags or provide them for a low price. Otherwise, customers are urged
to reuse the boxes that the store’s supply comes in! This is a great model that
should be and can be implemented city wide.
So, the next time you go shopping are you going to get
paper or plastic? Or maybe even bring your own! ;)
Sources
https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/plasticbags/articles/googobits_07-21-05.pdf
https://www.wpr.org/milwaukee-county-banning-single-use-plastic-its-facilities
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