Thicker, reusable bags are still available for purchase for 10 cents. Reader support helps sustain our work. [string music, inspired by What We Do In The Shadows]. So if its something thats easy to keep in your car, or in your purse or in your backpack that you know youll reuse, then thats going to be the bag for you. And do you think that it is more broadly true that cracking down on one specific plastic product can have rebound effects with other plastic products, or is this maybe a more isolated case that you found? There are so very many variables. How do we make polyethylene? TAYLOR: Yeah, well, Ill circle back to the three Rs. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For the World Right Questions 1-5.docx Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. 1- Out of all the bags that are currently available in the market, plastic bags are the most convenient for consumers. Twitter, Follow us on If they dont get reused a certain amount of time. New clinical trials could more effectively reach solutions. The instinct to favor reusable bags springs from an understandable urge to reduce our chronic overconsumption, but the bags we use are not the big problem. 'Banning plastic bags is great for the world, Right? Some are funded by plastic industry groups, like the ironically named American Progressive Bag Alliance. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. "Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For The World, Right? Did you just finish trick or treating? The ideal city bag policy would probably involve charging for paper and plastic single-use bags, as New York City has decided to do, while giving out reusable recycled-plastic bags to those who need them, especially to low-income communities and seniors. TAYLOR: Yeah, I would love to see the conversation, sort of move more. Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. Cities and states across the country are banning plastic bags, but those bans may be having unintended consequences. When we got rid of the carry out bags, people had to start purchasing garbage bags. Shortly after, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require acharge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. That signals to customers that these arent reusable products. You would think five cents to reuse a bag would have a state similar behavioral response is five cents to not use a bag to have to pay for than plastic bag. We use [drumroll] oil and gas! Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For The World, Right Not So Fast Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, California, a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. For example, I talked in our plastic straws episode about something called default choice modification. Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. One of the most comprehensive research papers on the environmental impact of bags, published in 2007 by an Australian state government agency, found that paper bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? Theres the impact of material, if it makes it into the environment as litter, theres the impact of the production of it on emissions and climate. That said, it doesnt have to hit these communities hard if they have access to reusable bags. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. AD READER: Is it 12:01am on November 1st? Different studies say different things, but the point is clear: even though paper bags are much better for the environment in the disposal stage, the rest of the supply chain is riddled with problems. NADJA: Where did you get your hands on a peer-reviewed study? How do we do that? The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. And so its the sort of carrots versus sticks story, the sticks of the taxes seem to be much more effective than the carrots of the bonuses. One option you may have come across depending on where you live is a plastic bag fee or paper bag fee or reusable bag credit. TAYLOR: Thanks. Now, there are a few challenges to implementing a monetary policy like this. Talk about consistency! Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. A lot of the waste ends up in our communities, says Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, an environmental and social justice-oriented community organization in Brooklyn. Banning plastic bags may come with unintended consequences - TechCrunch And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. Wonder why you hear about legislation concerning plastic bags? So paper bag usage did increase quite a bit. And so in terms of ranking those, that would be my order, taxes, hybrid bands, and then least preferred standalone bands. In that case, it was the simple act of instead of automatically giving customers a straw with their drink, bringing the drink without a straw. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Electrify everything, California says including trucks and trains. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. Heres Dr. Taylor discussing some of her research on that front. Follow us on And so my recommendation is to use as few bags as you can reuse the ones that you do purchase and purchase your bags, make it an active decision. Rough Draft 14 - Writing - The Effects Of Plastic In the essay Instagram, Follow us on Even studies conducted with the purest of intentions depend on any number of assumptions. The court has given itself a deadline extension until late Friday night to decide whether mifepristone should remain legal. [booo] Yeah, that was even rough for my standards. If they were going to use a slur for white people, why not name it Karen or Wonderbread? So if its not effective, and its expensive, its not a recommended policy tool. TAYLOR: Yes. Plastic bags could also be more sustainable from the production side. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? READ MORE. ITS PAPER. Right now! There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. The Secrets of Covid Brain Fog Are Starting to Lift. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. Not So Fast | WIRED Plastic Bottles Plastic Bags Choking the oceans with Plastics. Hopefully its not laced with xylene! And an estimated 10 million tons of plastic are discarded in the ocean yearly. Thats right, its always the one you most suspect. Donate today to keep our climate news free. In fact, they may even feel too awkward to ask for one. TAYLOR: Its a great question, I would say its a bit nuanced, because that was just respect with respect to the plastic bags. Nakuru, Kenya In the open-air Wakulima Market thin plastic shopping bags have disappeared, banished by Kenya's national bag ban. [knock on door, door creaks open, then Laszlo starts coughing uncontrollably]. Thank you all for listening, and Ill see you next week. We talked about a whole list of issues in our first segment, and those dont vanish. You can try, but nine times out of ten, its going to rip your original in half. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Whereas the small taxes are very effective. There are many factors to consider when looking at the environmental impact of plastic bags, and also paper bags may not be as environmentally friendly as people think. And those seven ethylene projects are concentrated in just three counties in Texas: Harris County, Jefferson County, and Brazoria County. First off, I had a lot of cracker jokes, but more importantly being a heat intensive process, the production of plastic bags requires a good amount of energy, and it should come as no surprise that these petrochemical facilities typically use natural gas for their electricity source. ETHAN: Welcome to episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin: Antarcticas Hottest Podcast. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. Plastic is a toxin that stays in the environment, marine animals ingest it, and it enters their bodies and then ours.. How do we make polyethylene? Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast The good and the bad of plastic bag bans: Research review Listen Up America: You Need to Learn How to Recycle. A tweak could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands. Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. Christmas: no, were not going to stop. ETHAN: Like, come on, we dont need more toxic chemicals in one spot! Plastic bags not only destroy the physical infrastructure, she says, referring to the way they clog up storm drains and other systems, they contribute to emissions. And she points out that marine plastic pollution is a threat to low-income people who fish for their dinner: So many frontline communities depend on food coming from the ocean. Thats why her group supported New York Citys bag fee even though its more of a burden on lower-income citizens. Here's How. And you even have some states, at least 17 in the US who have actually banned bag bans, banned regulating bags in general. But advocates of these laws and journalists who cover the issue often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for their bags, or maybe even stop keeping bags at the register at all. And so I was interested in understanding to what degree does a patchwork of policies actually lead customers to switch where theyre shopping. Some people still keep streaks, I think! As far as I know, nobody has done the definitive analysis, which would necessarily need to have a large number of caveats and qualifications. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. Harmful to human health 6. Its taken long enough. I mean, look at all the kids roaming the streets looking for water after eating a single Saltine. Three reasons why banning plastic bags is problematic - The Conversation Thats the percentage the Massachusetts Sierra Club has advocated for at the state level and when lobbying for municipal bag rules. Was Implementation the Right Theme for COP27? Climate change, they say, isnt the only form of environmental degradation to worry about. There are also policy options that dont involve bans. Right now, one of the best ways to help Grist continue to thrive is by becoming a monthly member. But in terms of plastic, you are correct. Back to those three Rs we learned when we were in elementary school, the reduce the Reuse and Recycle. Its what we put in the bag at the grocery store that really matters.. Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. So if you have a policy in your own city, but the next city over doesnt, and you decide to shop in then next city over to avoid the policy. Its like time outs. ETHAN: And that wraps up episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin. As plastic bag bans go into effect, some question the unintended ETHAN: Obviously, bags are the only policy option like we talked about theres fees theres more voluntary approaches You know, with straws, something that intrigued me was default choice modification. In fact, eight states have gone so far as to ban single-use plastic bags, and over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or banning them.
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