The Dangers of Plastic Bags

DatareleasedbytheUnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyshowsthatsomewherebetween500billionandatrillionplasticbagsareconsumedworldwideeachyear.NationalGeographicNewsSeptember2,2003Lessthan1%ofbagsarerecycled.Itcostmoretorecycleabagthantoproduceanewone.-ChristianScienceMonitorNewsPaper“There'sharsheconomicsbehindbagrecycling:Itcosts$4,000toprocessandrecycle1tonofplasticbags,whichcanthenbesoldonthecommoditiesmarketfor$32”-JaredBlumenfeld(DirectorofSanFrancisco'sDepartmentoftheEnvironment)Then…WhereDoTheyGo?Astudyin1975,showedoceangoingvesselstogetherdumped8millionpoundsofplasticannually.Therealreasonthattheworld'slandfillsweren'toverflowingwithplasticwasbecausemostofitendedupinanocean-fill-U.S.NationalAcademyofSciencesBagsgetblownaround……todifferentpartsofourlands…andtoourseas,lakesandrivers.Bagsfindtheirwayintotheseaviadrainsandsewagepipes-CNN.com/tecnhologyNovember16,2007PlasticbagshavebeenfoundfloatingnorthoftheArcticCirclenearSpitzbergen,andasfarsouthastheFalklandIslands-BritishAntarcticSurveyPlasticbagsaccountforover10percentofthedebriswashedupontheU.S.coastline-NationalMarineDebrisMonitoringProgramPlasticbagsphotodegrade:Overtimetheybreakdownintosmaller,moretoxicpetro-polymers-CNN.com/tecnhologyNovember16,2007whicheventuallycontaminatesoilsandwaterways-CNN.com/tecnhologyNovember16,2007Asaconsequencemicroscopicparticlescanenterthefoodchain-CNN.com/tecnhologyNovember16,2007Theeffectonwildlifecanbecatastrophic-WorldWildlifeFundReport2005Birdsbecometerminallyentangled-WorldWildlifeFundReport2005Nearly200differentspeciesofsealifeincludingwhales,dolphins,sealsandturtlesdieduetoplasticbags-WorldWildlifeFundReport2005Theydieafteringestingplasticbagswhichtheymistakeforfood-WorldWildlifeFundReport2005So…Whatdowedo?Ifweuseaclothbag,wecansave6bagsaweekThat's24bagsamonthThat's288bagsayearThat's22,176bagsinanaveragelifetimeIfjust1outof5peopleinourcountrydidthiswewouldsave1,330,560,000,000bagsoverourlifetimeBangladeshhasbannedplasticbags-MSNBC.comMarch8,2007Chinahasbannedfreeplasticbags-CNN.com/asiaJanuary9,2008IrelandtooktheleadinEurope,taxingplasticbagsin2002andhavenowreducedplasticbagconsumptionby90%-BBCNewsAugust20,2002In2005Rwandabannedplasticbags-AssociatedPressIsrael,Canada,westernIndia,Botswana,Kenya,Tanzania,SouthAfrica,Taiwan,andSingaporehavealsobannedoraremovingtowardbanningtheplasticbag-PlanetSave.comFebruary16,2008OnMarch27th2007,SanFranciscobecomesfirstU.S.citytobanplasticbags-NPR.org(NationalPublicRadio)OaklandandBostonareconsideringaban-TheBostonGlobeMay20,2007Plasticshoppingbagsaremadefrompolyethylene:athermoplasticmadefromoil-CNN.com/tecnhologyNovember16,2007ReducingplasticbagswilldecreaseforeignoildependencyChinawillsave37millionbarrelsofoileachyearduetotheirbanoffreeplasticbags-CNN.com/asiaJanuary9,2008Itispossible...