Details about the harmful effects of plastic bags answers. The need to implement various measures to save planet earth has become even more urgent as we continue to inch towards an obvious disaster that we have created for ourselves. Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well. Runoff water collects and carries discarded plastic bags and ultimately washes them into storm sewers.
Plastic bag pollution by sharon jacobsen every year, around 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. Harmful effects of plastic waste disposal sciencing. Poly bag and capitol poly, were instrumental in the manufacturing, marketing and perfecting of plastic bags in the 1980s. Even after animals bodies decompose, the plastic bags stay intact, and another animal can get hurt. However, their unique properties make up their usage in various types and forms. Paper bags or cloth bags should be used for carrying goods as. Pdf using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment. Five reasons why our plastic bag habit is bad as new figures show britons took home 8. Effect of plastic grocery bags on environment and its reuse. Harmful effects of plastics on health and environment h. Due to the toxic chemical composition of plastic bags, its exposure causes illnesses like birth defects, cancer, and other systemic illness. Using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment and agriculture conference paper pdf available december 2011 with 17,315 reads how we measure reads. This makes the water unhealthy for human consumption and agricultural use. They are related to the temperature constraint and can be used to only a specific range.
Altkleider image by marem from polythene bags, commonly known as plastic bags, are popular packaging materials. Plastic bags pollution effects and solutions green living. Consumer product safety commission, every year about 25 children in. Write the harmful effects of using plastic bags, on the. Moreover, a study of 38 green turtles found that 61 percent had ingested some form of marine debris including plastic bags, cloth, and rope or string bugoni et al. This paper studies the implementation process behind rwandas plastic bag ban introduced in. So many that over one million bags are being used every minute and theyre damaging our environment. Moreover, recycling of plastic is uneconomical, polluting and labour intensive. To lesser down the effects of plastics on the environment, other ecological bags like paper and cloth fabric bags were in the option. We should encourage the use of reusable bags that are very durable. Dec, 2016 china, which banned many types of plastic bags in 2008, claims some successes.
Pollution and environmental damage trees act as a carbon sink by removing the carbon from co 2 and storing it as cellulose in the trunk while releasing the oxygen back into the air. Due to the problems associated with singleuse plastic bags and following signing of legislation related to plastic bags1, governor cuomo convened the new york state plastic bag task force in february 2017 to develop a report and proposed legislation to address the detrimental impact of plastic bags on the states environment. Plastic is one of the most used material these days. Plastic bags drifting through the wind have many references in popular culture. Exposure to harmful chemicals during manufacturing, leaching in the stored food items while using plastic packages or chewing of plastic teethers and toys by children are linked with severe adverse health outcomes such as cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive effects etc. A field survey of the city of sanaa and the surrounding areas, yemen. Each year more and more plastic bags are ending up littering the environment. See the adverse health effects grid for a list of commonly used plastics and their known health effects.
Although plastic bags make up only a small percentage of all litter, the impact of these bags is nevertheless significant. There are various ways on how plastic bags can harm the health of humans and the entire environment. Singleuse disposable plastic bags are suffocating the planet, with 60,000 plastic bags being consumed in the u. Due to the toxic chemical composition of plastic bags, its exposure causes illnesses like birth defects, cancer, and other systemic illness plastic bags also affect animals, birds, and aquatic organisms. First, they are manufactured from oil, creating further demand for environmentally damaging oil extraction.
Given the significant environmental impacts of plastic bags, it is. Decline plastic bags at the checkout counter and remind the cashier and others around you. Chemical migration from plastic packaging into contents people are exposed to these chemicals not only during manufacturing, but also by using plastic packages, because some chemicals migrate from the plastic packaging to the foods they contain. Harmful effects of plastic bags the harmful effects of plastic bags are numerous and it affects human, all living organisms, soil, water, air, and the entire ecosystem. Beyond energy and climate impacts, the persistence of plastic bags in the environment. Hazard to children polythene bags can be dangerous to children. We can help these factories by giving back the unused plastic bags in our house this is called recycling. Plastic bags find their origin in a variety of places. Plastic buried in soil can release a toxic chemical which mixes into the ground making it harmful for agriculture and human use, it can also seep into the ground and mix with groundwater. The negative effects of plastic have been mentioned as follows. Effects of plastic pollution organic 4 greenlivings. But, most of us are blissfully unaware of the repercussions that are occurring and. Sometimes plastic such as polythene bags, get buried under the soil, this makes the soil toxic.
Two major methods that release toxic chemicals of plastic bags are by burning and throwing. The negative economic impact of visible plastic carrier bag litter on coastal and. Positive and negative effects of plastic my daily alerts. Factories that make plastic have to make tons of them every day because people ask for plastic bags in shopping malls, grocery stores, everywhere. Decline plastic bags at the checkout counter and remind the cashier and others around you that plastic bags hurt the environment. Despite the fact that plastic containers carry a recycling logo, many are in fact not recyclable, according to, a sustainableliving information portal. Plastic bags create visual pollution problems and can have harmful effects on aquatic and terrestrial animals. The impacts of plastic waste on our health and the environment are only just becoming apparent. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and streets.
Secondly, research on the harmful effects that plastic waste may cause often. Positive and negative impacts of existing plastic bag bans. Plastic bags are quite commonly mistaken for food by animals, especially when the bags carry food residues, are brightly coloured or are animated by the movement of water. The plastic bag ban has now became a part of growing environmental movement that began in march 2007, when san francisco became the first north american city to ban nonrecyclable plastic bags made from petroleum.
Danger to animal life, especially when they find their way into the sea. From katy perrys song fireworks to a random episode of family guy, somehow a mindless act of a piece of plastic being tossed around in the blowing wind has made an impression on todays culture. Write the harmful effects of using plastic bags, on the environment. In spite of knowing this fact, indiscriminate use of plastic bags has left us nowhere. Study the study reflected that while over 85% of the respondents were aware of the plastic usage ban and the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. Much is due to the nature of plastic itself, which often can only be downcycled rather than recycled a torn plastic bag might eventually be transformed into a lunch tray, but it will. A new beginning royalty free music from bensound sites used for information. The paper focuses on the sustainable agricultural and economic development in malaysia and other countries by finding out alternatives to the use of ever harmful plastic bags. Oct 09, 2014 to reduce plastic waste and negative effects, recycling programs have been implemented in many parts of the united states, but remain underutilized. Environmental impacts the environmental impacts of plastic bag use include. In beginning the journey towards a plasticfree lifestyle, one of the first areas to focus on is your shopping habits. Plastic bags pollution effects and solutions green. What are the effects of plastic bags on the environment. Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because they are cheap, strong, lightweight.
What are the effects of plastic bags on environment answers. We humans have some unfathomable affinity with our comfort zones and procrastination. Academics have measured consumer behavior and public opinion on plastic bags in many countries, including turkey, uganda and canada. Assessment of impacts of options to reduce the use of singleuse.
Sep 17, 2012 disposable plastic bags are an environmental problem for several reasons. Whether you burn or throw plastic bags, all the chemicals are released which can cause harm to the society. Once in these sewers, the bags often form clumps with other types of debris, and ultimately block the flow of water. Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles e. Plastic debris waste is often ingested by seafaring creatures, and the chemicals therein can poison all manner of wildlife.
Plastic bags are non biodegradable materials which take almost 1,000 years to decompose causing serious harmful effects on our environment. Disposable plastic bags are an environmental problem for several reasons. We need to educate people about the harmful impact of plastic bags on our environment. Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up the precious resources of the earth. Plastic bags also affect animals, birds, and aquatic organisms. But some reports suggest the rule has been difficult to enforce. Raise public awareness about the harm caused by singleused plastics. Plastic is also very light and it is resistant to the chemicals. Apr 01, 2016 there were 5020% participants reusing the plastic bags for shopping after usage and out of these 50 participants 3320. Perhaps most ominously, plastics buried in landfills can leach. Taiwan has banned both plastic bags and plastic utensils. When we actually count the number of bags we bring in weekly, it can spur us to take action. Harmful effects from use of polythene bags health faq. The effects of plastic bags on environment healthguidance.
Plastic takes a long time to degrade, and plastic bags specifically can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill. The real reason that the worlds landfills werent overflowing with plastic was because most of it ended up in an ocean fill u. The harmful effects of using plastic are as follows. Plastic bags when consumed along with food by animals, cause harm to their life. During the extended process of plastic packaging production, plasticizers are added to alter properties of the plastic, including increasing its resilience. Lets take a look at the positive and negative effects of plastic. Harmful effects of plastic a sea change in building technology arrived in the 1950s with the age of plastic. Here are some of the harmful effects of plastic bags.
Count the plastic bags brought into your home in a week. Harmful effects of plastic bags on plants even plants are not protected from the harm caused by bags. The effects of plastic bags on the environment are really quite devastating. Environmental effects plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistaken them for food the manufacture of plastic bags add tonnes of carbon emissions into the air annually. The impact of plastic bags on the environment is enormous.
Plastic bags are one of those things that have been slowly working their way into our lives, and not in a constructive way. For example, whales and sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for squid, and birds often mistake plastic pellets for fish eggs. From a vegetable vendor to a designer store, everyone seems to use them. Animals, mainly marine life whose natural diet includes jellyfish, are prone to eat plastic bags. This is a video on how plastic bags affect the environment. The most effective approach may be to combine a waste prevention. In this article we highlight 15 harmful effects of plastic bags, cutting across social, economic, health, and ecological aspects of life. Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up. Whats more, more terrible, the ingested plastic pack stays in place even after the passing and decay of the creature. Once they are used, most plastic bags go into landfill, or rubbish tips.
Polythene bags eventually break down into small particles resembling plankton, one of the main animal food sources. Plastic bags are almost not biodegradable, since they do not decompose during the time span of human lives. Environmental effects in the united states the paper industry is the largest user, per ton of product, of industrial process water and the third largest industrial consumer of energy. Industrial development of fossil fuels into a wide array of plastics changed formulations in everything from insulation to mechanicals to paint, and plastic is still a ubiquitous component of every building assembly. It cost more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one. Most of our knowledge is around plastic waste in the marine environment, although there is research that indicates that plastic waste in landfill and in badly managed recycling systems could be having. Pdf on feb 19, 2020, sozan najib and others published adverse effects of.
Replace harmful plastic bags with these ecological bags. The harmful effects of plastic on human health and the. Kroger, a cincinnatibased grocery chain in usa, began to replace its other paper shopping bags with plastic bags in 1982. They are so inexpensive and convenient that most households use them. Paper bags are heavier and take up more space than plastic bags so fewer bags fit on a truck, translating into more fuel used to transport paper bags than plastic.
Using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment and. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags. Floating plastic waste can survive for dozens of centuries and disrupt habitats by shuttling microbes to and fro. They are made using nonrenewable resources, either petroleum or. Harmful effects of single use plastic bags on our environment and the solution.
But along with its advantages, there are lot of disadvantages of plastic too. Second, they do not quickly and harmlessly biodegade, and du. There were 5020% participants reusing the plastic bags for shopping after usage and out of these 50 participants 3320. The plastic produce bags and flimsy grocery bags you may be used to getting at the grocery store are destroying our environment. The harmful effects of plastic bags every once in a while the government passes out an order banning shop keepers from providing plastic bags to customers for carrying their purchases, with little lasting effect. Many animals, including whales, dolphins, turtles, penguins, and dolphins, ingest plastic bags as they mistake them food. We are on a slow but steady course of destruction of our environment and some seem to be unperturbed about it. This bag type is made of natural polymers, either starch or a blend of. In recent years, local and national governments have begun phasing out. There is no way to strictly limit the effects of plastic bags on the environment because there is no disposal method. When plastics breakdown in soil they release harmful chemicals, like bisphenol a bpa, that can harm natural microorganisms that. Finally, analysis of the detrimental effects that plastic bags have on animals and their habitats will finalize the portion of our project that focuses on pollution.
Plastic bags are nonbiodegradable, so, they pollute the environment. Plastic bags are widely used for carrying purchases for they are lightweight, strong, cheap, functional, and also hygienic. While there are many objections to the banning of plastic bags based solely on their convenience, the damage to the environment needs to be controlled. The bags get tangled around animal necks, legs, etc. The harmful effects of plastic bags are numerous and it affects human, all living organisms, soil, water, air, and the entire ecosystem. On an average, a person uses 200,000 plastic bags in hisher lifetime. Harmful effects from use of polythene bags healthy living. Around 100,000 creatures, for example, dolphins, turtles, whales, penguins are murdered each year because of these bags. Bags in the soil can snag root systems and cause damage. These bags can be used for hundreds of times before they need to be disposed of. As of august 2010, between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are being used each year worldwide.
Five reasons why our plastic bag habit is bad telegraph. Impact of national bans and levies on plastic bag usage. Qlwlrqri3odvwlf plastic is an organic material manufactured from petroleum derivatives. Plastic bags kill wildlife, clog waterways and pack landfills. It is not only the responsibility of a particular government to start imposing bans on using plastic bags.
Discarded bags can spread malaria if they collect rainwater, offering mosquitos a casual breeding ground. Positive and negative effects of plastic essay and speech. Jun 14, 2007 the bags get tangled around animal necks, legs, etc. The impact of plastic bags on the environment greentumble. Jul 24, 2012 houston community college systems central campus speech 11 fundamental of speech summer ii 2012 the harmful effects of plastic bags presented by. Assessing the impact of the complete ban on plastic carry bag. Plastic bags themselves have no harmful effects the polymer itself, low density polythene, is perfectly safe, its stable, non reactive, and non toxic. Jan 10, 2018 even in urban areas, where wildlife is relatively scarce, plastic bags cause significant environmental harm.
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