Why People Should Pay for Plastic Bags - Research Paper Example

Plastic is one of the most commonly used and preferable material in todays world mostly because it is cheap. At the same time, it appears to be very dangerous due to the fact that it imposes serious threat on peoples health, health of wildlife as well as on the state of the environment. In fact, a plastic bag appears to be a slow killer that ruins the world we all live in. It does this in several ways. First of all, it endangers the environment by polluting the soil and waters. Naive animals perceive plastic bags as food and die of indigestion and starvation; they choke on them as well; and the list can be continued. People suffer from plastic bags as well as they are forced to live in polluted cities and eat contaminated food and then face serious problems with their health. Overall, from the above-mentioned it follows that I am for imposing fees on the use of plastic bags. I address all the conscious citizens to support a plastic bag tax because our health and health of our future children greatly depends on it. First of all, plastic bags have a negative influence on human health. Plastics are derived from cheap petroleum fuels and that is why they replaced such materials as glass and metals as well as paper and reusable bags when it comes to the discussed issue. Plastic bags are comprised of a great number of components research on which has proved that they are very harmful to human health. For example, in accordance with Rustagi, Pradhan, and Singh, many of the phthalates that comprise plastics are linked to a variety of abnormalities and malformations in a human body, such as increased insulin resistance, decreased level of sex hormones, and other problems associated with male and female reproductive health. Children are especially vulnerable to harmful effects of plastics which are now omnipresent, especially in the form of plastic bags. Other components, such as mercury, cadmium, and lead, are very toxic, and alongside with other toxic materials, like the phthalates mentioned above, can lead to cancers, immune system problems, birth defects and childhood developmental issues. In addition to this, plastic bags are not biodegradable, which means they stay in the environment for hundreds of years till they decompose. Before that time, they end up in landfills, bodies of water and even float in the air. During the years that plastic bags decompose, they release a great number of various toxins into the air, soil, rivers, lakes, and oceans. The statistical data on the production and use of plastic bags staggers: each year, about a trillion of plastic bags is produced in the world, and only 0.5 to 3 percent of them is recycled in a proper way ("Plastic Problems: How Do Plastic Bags Affect Our Environment?"). In reality, plastic bags are all pervasive in the environment. It is of no doubt that almost everybody knows about the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or Pacific Trash Vortex, which is a collection of marine debris that is comprised mostly of suspended plastics and plastic bags in particular. Accordingly to the United Nations, each square mile of the ocean contains more than 45,000 pieces of plastic ("Plastic Problems: How Do Plastic Bags Affect Our Environment?"). Plastics bags (especially when they find their way to the sea) are extremely dangerous for the health of wildlife, which suffers a lot from pollution. Very often, animals mistaken plastic bags for food, especially when these plastic bags are of bright colors, carry leftovers or move in the water attracting attention. When animals eat these bags, they are unable to digest food and are condemned to die of infections or starvation. Among such marine animals are sea turtles. Plastics bags, the most common garbage items on the coast of California, were found in stomachs of one in three leatherback sea turtles during the study of almost 400 autopsies (Beans). In addition to this, many of animals, such as seals, birds, whales etc. also choke on plastic bags and die. Not only do the bags and toxins in plastic affect the wildlife, they resemble sponges for they absorb other toxins from the environment before they get to the ocean. As animals ingest these chemicals, people do suffer as well because people consume contaminated mammals and fish. A number of countries all over the world has already banned the use of plastic bags or provided that people should pay for them in stores. Among these countries are Australia, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, India, Israel, Malaysia, Hong Kong and others. In the United States, it is only cities and counties that outlawed the use of plastic bags. In September 2014, California imposed a ban on plastic bags. It is difficult to predict the outcomes of a plastic bag tax in the United States. However, the experience of other countries that implemented this tax or even banned the use of plastic bags is promising. For example, Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002, and since that year, the amount of plastic bag litter in the country gas reduced by ninety-five percent (“Scientific American”). In 2008, China introduced a total ban on ultra-thin plastic bags and a tax on plastic bags, and since that year, the use of plastic bags in the country has reduced, which means that the amount of plastic bags litter has also decreased (Yang). In the United States, about 380 billion plastic bags are used annually, with about 100 billion of them being thrown away after one use. This number of plastic bags equals to dumping about twelve millions barrels of oil (Yang). In accordance with Richards, Chin, and Lander, in cities and counties of the United States, in which fees or bans on plastic bags was imposed, there is a significant decrease in plastic bas use, from 60 to almost 95 percent. These figures show that people are eager to save the environment they live in. Unfortunately, not all the people agree to pay for plastic bags. For instance, in New Yorkers still continue using plastic bags: the statistical data shows that during one year they used about 5 billion of bags, which is more than 600 bags per person and the majority of them end up as litter that pollutes the city and the environment (Richards, Chin, and Lander). Despite the fact that different environmental groups are still pushing to introduce plastic bag bans of different character, the progress is very slow because of lobbying. The matter is that the economic effect of plastic bag bans can have a negative impact on the ban area, which means the industry can lose billions of dollars if the ban is introduced and imposed (Caliendo). The modern state of the environment as well as the threats imposed by plastic bags on it and on public health suggest that the use of plastic bags should be limited, and one of the ways to decrease the use is to make people pay for plastic bags in stores. Experience of a range of countries in the world and cities and counties in the United States shows that a plastic bag fee really works and helps improve the situation with environmental pollution. I think that every conscious citizen who worries about his / her health and future should support the introduction and implementation of a plastic bag ban. I do believe that everybody wants to live in the world where in cities all the trees are free from plastic bags, which today are hanging from branches, and there are no threats to health and life of not only human beings but nature as well. Works Cited "Do Plastic Bans Work?." Scientific American. 14 Oct 2014: n. page. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. . "Plastic Problems: How Do Plastic Bags Affect Our Environment?." Before Its News. N. p., 4 Mar 2013. Web. 25 Apr 2015. . Beans, L. "Silent Killers: The Danger of Plastic Bags to Marine Life." EcoWatch. N. p., 6 Aug 2013. Web. 25 Apr 2015. . Caliendo, H. "The Economic Effect of Plastic Bag Bans." Plastics Today. N. p., 6 Feb 2013. Web. 25 Apr 2015. . Richards, D., M. Chin, and B. Lander. "To Reduce Plastic Waste, Pay 10 Cents a Bag." New York Daily News. 19 Nov 2014: n. page. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. . Rustagi, N., S. K. Pradhan, and R. Singh. "Public Health Impact of Plastic: An Overview." Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Mdicine15.3 (2011): 100-103. US National Library of Medicine. Web. 25 Apr 2015. . Yang, Y. "Do Plastic Bag Bans Help the Environment?." Latitude News. N. p. Web. 25 Apr 2015. . Read More