Plastic bags are one of the more harmful things that our environment endures. Plastic bags in our oceans are creating negative effects for the organisms who live there Plastic bags are all around bad for the environment and are a huge cause to more in depth climate change. There are strong replacements for plastic bags that are just as good if not better than plastic bags in general. Plastic bags need to be banned from all communities in America.

Organisms in the ocean and on land are consuming the plastic bags and experiencing negative effects and fully throughout the food chain all the way to humans. The Center for Biological Diversity, “10 Facts About Single-use Plastic Bags” (N.D) explains that, “hungry sea turtles, it's nearly impossible to distinguish between jellyfish and floating plastic shopping bags. Fish eat thousands of tons of plastic a year, transferring it up the food chain to bigger fish and marine mammals. Micro-plastics are also consumed by people through food”. This is obviously harmful to the animals consuming the plastic bags directly but also the humans eating the animals who eat the fish or directly eating the fish lead to humans consuming micro-plastics which can have negative health effects. Plastic bags are not ending up in the ocean by themselves. “25+ powerful reasons why plastic bags should be banned immediately” (2020) says “Recycling plastic bags does not affect the fact that they will still be dumped into the environment and end up in either landfills or oceans.” This is because plastic bags are not degradable so therefore they will not properly break down thus ending up in landfills and the ocean. It is not limited to the ocean where the plastic bags are piling up but also the coastlines. “There were 1.9 million grocery bags and other plastic bags collected in the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup.” (“10 Facts About Single-use Plastic Bags”, N.D.)There were 1.9 million plastic bags just on the international coast which is absurdly smaller than the entire ocean where plastic bags are also piling up.

Climate change is an ongoing issue in our world today and plastic bags are leading to the worsening of climate change. It has shown that countries that reduce or expel the use of plastic bags have an ease in the effects of climate change. “Currently, over 40 nations, together with municipalities around the globe, have instituted plastic bag bans. Other nations should follow suit to reduce the overall environmental implications.” (“25+ powerful reasons why plastic bags should be banned immediately”, 2020). This shows how climate change can be reduced if plastic bags are discontinued. It is not just the plastic bags that cause climate change and negative environmental effects but also the production of the plastic bags. “10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned.” an article from Green Tumble, an Environmental Conservation website says, “The majority of plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a substance that is derived from crude oil refining and natural gas processing. Oil and natural gas are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources and through their extraction and production, they emit greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global climate change.” Explaining how the creation of plastic bags negatively impacts the environment by adding greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.

There are very simple alternatives for plastic bags that can benefit the environment, unemployed people and the economy. The use of reusable bags is a very easy and great way to use less or no plastic bags. Reusable shopping bags have been used in the past when plastic shopping bags were not a thing. People would bring their own reusable bags or buckets to put their groceries in rather than plastic bags. Plastic bags are not the sturdiest bags and in a lot of cases rip and have all your groceries fall on the ground. “Reusable shopping bags are very durable and can be reused many times over the course of their useful life.” (“10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned.”, 2020). This shows how valid of an option reusable bags are and how beneficial they can be for people and the environment. Reusable plastic bags can be used a large number of times. They are not just beneficial to the environment but also to the economy. “The manufacturing of reusable bags or compostable alternatives to plastic bags offers a new opportunity to create sustainable products and provide jobs that go with them.” (“10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned.”, 2020). This shows the economy will grow because the country will sell more reusable bags and bring in more money as a country. The low income communities will have more job opportunities for those coming to create reusable bags and sell them.

The banning of plastic bags is a common debate in the face of increasing environmental concerns over oil and other fossil fuels. As a very commonplace item that is created using oil, plastic bags face a lot of criticism in this regard. To combat the environmental impact of creating these bags, many people, cities, and companies have opted for paper or reusable cotton bags. However, this may not have the benefit that we believe them to have. Due to concerns with the resource toll of their alternatives, plastic bags should not be banned, but should instead receive more attention and facilities in their disposal to lessen their current impact on the environment.

First and foremost, why do we use plastic bags? The most obvious answer is because they are convenient. The Bryn Mawr Trust reports that, according to the plastics industry, plastic grocery bags only cost around a single penny to manufacture, making them very cheap and easy for stores to obtain (2019). Additionally, consumers can use them for various household purposes, such as trash bags in small trash cans or the disposal of pet waste. As a dominant figure in packaging markets, with Americans using billions of them every single year, it would be an unwise and unpopular decision to ban their use outright.

Let’s take a look at why plastic bags are being reconsidered, and why this is a bad idea. The main reason that plastic bags are under fire is that they are manufactured using oil, making them non-biodegradable and a potentially long-term problem. This is the key selling point of their paper and reusable alternatives. However, what is not commonly known is that the production of these alternatives is even worse on the environment than the production of plastic bags. National Geographic says “although production of [plastic] bags does use resources like petroleum, it results in less carbon emissions, waste, and harmful byproducts than cotton or paper bag production” (2020). Additionally, a study by the UK Environment Agency found that, compared to plastic bags, paper bags need to be reused at least three times and cotton bags at least 131 times to neutralize the environmental impact of their manufacture (2011).

An issue with paper bags stems from their fragility; it is more likely than not that a paper bag will rip before it reaches the proposed three uses to neutralize its impact (National Geographic, 2020). Plastic bags are more durable and can withstand more use, which ties into their popular household convenience. With reusable bags, while they are much sturdier than both paper or plastic bags, they need to be used a relatively large number of times to make a difference, which poses another issue in remembering to bring these bags. If you forget to bring the bag with you, you can’t use it.

This does not mean that plastic bags are without their issues, however. According to the NRDC, “the average American family takes home almost 1500 plastic shopping bags a year,” (2008) and the WorldWatch Institute reports that Americans throw away over 100 billion plastic bags every year (n.d.). These bags are non-biodegradable and can break down into microplastics, the impacts of which are still being researched. However, the key aspect to note is that these bags are recyclable; despite this, most cities do not offer curbside pickup for them due to their potential issues in standard recycling facilities, which leaves their recycling up to the customer (Thompson, 2017). In most cases, customers can return these bags back to their original stores, or they can be dropped off at specialized recycling centers to be repurposed.

With all of this in mind, we can see that the usage of plastic bags is not the issue in and of itself; rather, it is the disposal of the bags that causes concern. Instead of going as far as to ban the usage of plastic bags, we should instead take steps toward popularizing their recycling by raising awareness of existing methods as well as increasing the number of cities that offer curbside pickup for them. This way, we can lessen the impact of plastic bags on the environment while also allowing people and businesses to keep these convenient mediums of item transport around. So if you want to help stop plastic bags from polluting our planet and disrupting nature, consider going out of your way to properly recycle these bags and prevent them from ending up in places they do not belong.

Sources for "There Should Be a Ban of Plastic Bags in All Communities."

• About RinkeshA true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another h , et al. “25+ Powerful Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned Immediately.” Conserve Energy Future, 3 July 2020, https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned.php#:~:text=Plastic%20bags%20never%20degrade%20 completely,help%20reduce%20this%20great%20effect.

• “10 Facts about Single-Use Plastic Bags.” 10 Facts About Single-Use Plastic Bags, https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/plastic_bag_facts.html.

• Greentumble, et al. “10 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned.” Greentumble, 5 Dec. 2020, https://greentumble.com/10-reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned/.

Sources for "Plastic Bags Should Not Be Banned: A Look Into Plastic Bags and Their Alternatives"

• Environment Agency. (2011, July 25). Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags: A review of the bags available in 2006. GOV.UK.

• National Geographic Society. (2020, June 11). Sustainable shopping-which bag is best? National Geographic Society.

• Powers, J. (2008, January 9). NRDC lauds passage of New York City Council legislation requiring groceries, retailers to provide plastic bag recycling for consumers. NRDC.

• Thompson, C. (2017, September). Paper, plastic or reusable? STANFORD Magazine.

• What is the real cost of paper vs plastic? Bryn Mawr Trust. (2019, September 16).