Does Banning Plastic Bags Help the Environment?
EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: How effective have plastic bag bans and restrictions been on reducing plastic litter and other problems associated with their proliferation? And is it really better to use paper bags, which will just lead to more deforestation? -- Peter Lindsey, New Canaan, CT
Plastic bags, first introduced in the 1950s as a convenient way to store food, have since developed into a global scourge, littering roadsides, clogging sewer drains and landfills and getting ingested by animals and marine life. And in recent years we’ve discovered how they are so prolific that they now comprise a significant portion of the plastic and other garbage that has collected in huge ocean gyres far from land.
A few countries around the world—Bangladesh, China, India, Australia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, South Africa, Taiwan and Mumbai, among others—have taken stands against plastic bags through taxing their usage or banning them outright. The environmental think tank, Worldwatch Institute, reports that China’s decision to ban free plastic bags in 2008 has cut demand by some 40 billion bags, reduced plastic bag usage there by 66 percent, and saved some 1.6 million tons of petroleum.
In March 2007, San Francisco became the first (and is still the only) major U.S. city to implement an across-the-board ban on plastic bags. Large supermarkets and pharmacies there had to ditch plastic shopping bags by early 2008 in favor of paper bags or those made from all-natural biodegradable cornstarch-based plastic. Environmentalists are particularly fond of the latter option for those who don’t bring their own grocery bags, as these cornstarch bags offer the biodegradability of paper without the deforestation as well as the convenience of plastic without the damage to ecosystems. San Francisco officials had originally tried to work with retailers on reducing plastic bag use voluntarily. But after a few years of little or no cooperation, they decided to just institute the ban on anything but biodegradable bags. The result has been a 50 percent drop in plastic bag litter on the streets since the ban took effect.
Los Angeles followed suit and its city council voted in 2008 to ban plastic bags beginning in July 2010—but the ban will only take effect if the state of California doesn’t follow through on a statewide plan to impose a fee on shoppers who request plastic bags. City council members in L.A. hope the ban will spur consumers to carry their own reusable bags and thus reduce the amount of plastic washing into the city's storm drains and into the Pacific Ocean. Several other U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, have considered outright bans like San Francisco’s, but each settled instead on plastic bag recycling programs in the face of pressure from the plastics industry and retail commercial interests.
While increased demand for paper bags in the wake of plastic bag bans could lead to more deforestation, most paper grocery bags in use today are made from recycled content, not virgin wood. Also, an added benefit of paper over petroleum-based plastic is its biodegradability.
Americans go through some 92 billion disposable plastic bags each year, and only five billion paper ones. If the nation banned plastic bags it is likely that paper varieties would only make up a small part of the difference, in light of the proliferation of reusable canvas shopping bags as well as the availability of biodegradable cornstarch plastic.
CONTACT: Worldwatch Institute, www.worldwatch.org.
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. E is a nonprofit publication. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
Related Posts:
6 Responses »
Leave a Response
Entries(RSS)
Everyone who uses paper or reusable bags also buys plastic bags for trash and recycling. Why is it OK to buy plastic bags for trash and put those into landfills and not to put plastic shopping bags into landfills? Also, most people reuse their plastic shopping bags for trash or recycling- I very seldom throw them out, just reuse them. I think the solution is better, stronger, bigger plastic shopping bags that people will value for reuse...Allen
Problem is with OUR HABITS or with plastic bags? Isn't using paper bags etc equally hazardous during production, depletion of trees etc?
There is no need to use paper bags, just use your reusable bags. For those who reuse their shopping bags, it's fine as long as you keep reusing them - why would the ban effect you? Just take your plastic bags with you to the store....
Trash can liners do present a problem. I agree that cleanliness requires a leak proof liner. I have opted to use my own bags for all shopping, i.e., groceries, clothing etc. So, I compost some of the "wet" trash and purchase biodegradable bags for the trash can. This seems to be the best compromise for me.
I also recycle all glass, metal, paper, plastic and cardboard possible. This means tearing the little plastic windows out of envelopes and other time consuming habits. It seems a small inconvenience compared to what is happening globally as a result of trash pollution.
Dear Earth Talk:
I have lived many years on the shores of Monterey Bay and was one of the original Charter Members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I am a former NASA scientist, now doing research in the National Marine Sanctuary of Monterey Bay. My question is: Would you allow my information about plastic ingestion by animals and marine life on your website responses if any of it contradicted the established dogma?
Richard Wick
Sure.