The Plastic Bag Debate

Plastic Bag Issue

• Disposable plastic bags didn't exist 50 years ago
• Plastic bags pollute oceans, clog landfills, and hang on trees
• John Jurinek advocates for a government ban on plastic bags
• Plastic bags cause damage to the environment
• Plastic bags are made from oil products and use up nonrenewable resources
• Plastic bags litter the air, land, and especially the ocean
• Plastic bags never decompose and remain toxic

Plastic Industry Perspective

• Plastic bags are a "victim of success"
• Four out of five bags from grocery stores are plastic
• Robert Bateman says retailers give out too many bags
• Consumers are not recycling them properly
• A ban is not the answer

Ban Advocates

• India and China successfully banned disposable bags
• San Francisco banned plastic bags in 2007
• Nashua Kalil says there is an environmental cost to free plastic bags and future generations will pay the cost
• Stephanie Barger says plastic bags persist in smaller pieces
• Worldwatch Institute reports tens of thousands of marine animals die from contact with ocean-borne plastic bags

Ban Opponents

• Judah McKenney believes individual decisions should be based on personal responsibility rather than government legislation

Saving the Bags

• Laurie Kusek says plastic bags are reused and the plastics industry encourages recycling centers
• Critics say banning plastic bags would force people to use paper bags
• According to the American Forest and Paper Association, 14 million trees are cut down to produce 10 billion grocery bags each year
• More energy is used to produce and recycle paper bags than plastic bags
• Paper bag production creates more air and water pollution than plastic bag production

Addressing the Paper vs Plastic Argument

• Less than 12 percent of plastic bags, sacks, and wraps are recycled
• Gordon Bennett says trees are a renewable resource of the Sierra Club

Taking Action

• Most agree action is needed to stop disposable plastic bag use, ban or no ban
• Erik Assadourian believes outright bans may not align with American belief in freedom of choice and backs a plastic bag tax
• The California Supreme Court upheld the right for cities to ban bags in 2011
• Over 100 cities instituted bans by 2014, including Los Angeles and San Francisco
• Some stores charge for reusable bags
• Worldwatch Institute states the best alternative to plastic bags is reusable cloth bags

Ocean Plastic Pollution

• Global trash is expected to increase, marine debris originates on land, spelling disaster for the oceans
• Millions of tons of plastic are going into the ocean with unknown consequences
• Jenna Jambeck studies the impact on the environment and marine life
• The growing tonnage of plastic debris is complex, and has created an interdisciplinary field of study
• Studies range from toxicity of ingested plastics to the politics and economics of solid waste management

Marine Garbage

• Oceans are the ultimate sinkhole for global garbage
• 136 species of marine animals have been found entangled in debris
• NOAA made its first discovery of northern fur seals trapped in rubber collars from Japanese food-drop bags in 1944
• Research into marine garbage is only a decade old
• NOAA's Marine Debris Program launched in 2006 after the Marine Debris Act passed due to Senator Daniel Inouye
• Ocean debris is now composed almost entirely of microplastics that float in the water column.
• Microplastics entered picture and ingestion by marine life started alarms

Estimating Garbage

• Jambeck and teams research estimates of global garbage production and trash from developing countries lacking garbage systems, and how much litter is produced by developed countries
• All trash has the potential to reach the oceans

Ocean Trash Solutions

• Solving the problem seems insurmountable given the increasing volume of ocean trash
• 48 plastic manufacturers from 25 countries pledged to help prevent marine debris and encourage recycling
• Manufacturers market products from recycled ocean plastics and abandoned fishing gear
• Cleaning up oceans can cause more harm than good
• Cleaning up microplastics could sweep up plankton which provides the basis for marine food chain and photosynthesis on Earth

Garbage Patches

• Ocean trash is driven by currents into loosely formed garbage patches full of grain sized plastic bits
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is often said to be twice the size of Texas, also varying in shape and density
• Cleaning up less than 1% of the North Pacific would take 68 ships working hours a day for a year.
• Beach cleanups are costly and ineffective, collecting 180 million tons over three decades
• Garbage will continue to end up in the ocean as long as countries lack efficient collection.

Plastic Free Life

• Beth Terry’s life changed after seeing a baby albatross with a stomach full of trash bags
• After radio interview with Colin Beaven, Terry learned about his "No Impact Project"
• The project promoted living a zero-waste lifestyle
• Terry reduced annual plastic waste and launched a blog, "My Plastic-Free Life"
• Terry began gradually and aimed to find alternatives
• Terry tracked her personal plastic footprint, tallying waste weekly and posting results on her blog
• By 2009, Terry generated 3.7 pounds of plastic, about 4% of the U.S. per capita average
• Terry uses minimal plastic with glass jars and reusable cloth sacks
• Terry follows guidelines to maintain an almost plastic-free life

Terry's Guidelines for Plastic-Free Living:

• Use glass jars and stainless-steel containers
• Avoid plastic tubs for berries by buying fruit at farmer's market
• Bring reusable sacks and containers to the grocery store or farmer's market
• Find markets that sell locally produced milk and yogurt in ceramic or glass containers
• Bring a reusable container to restaurants for doggie bags
• Carry reusable utensils
• Make homemade household cleaners, deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner
• Wear as little synthetic clothing as possible
• Terry buys the largest size of items when plastic packaging can't be avoided, and portions it into smaller sizes at home

Comparing Bags

• Paper
  • Americans use over 10 billion annually
  • Made from about 14 million trees
  • Costs 5 to 8 cents per bag
  • Free in most cities, but 5 cents a bag in some areas
  • 15 to 20% get recycled, disposable
  • Biodegradable
  • Cables can be broken down
  • Chemicals are used in production and causes air/water pollution
  • Takes up about 1% of space in landfill
  • Landfill gasses lead to air pollution
• Plastic
  • United States consumers 70-100 billion annually
  • Made from about 12 million barrels of oil
  • Costs 1 to 2 cents per bag
  • Free in most cities, but 5 to 25 cents in some areas
  • Less than 12% get recycled, disposable
  • Chemicals are used in production and causes air pollution
  • Takes up about 0.4% of space in landfill
  • Can last 1000 years
  • Kills many animals
• Cloth/Canvas
  • The US population uses 5 to 10%
  • Cost 10 to 25 cents per bag
  • 99 cents to 15$ per bag
  • Can be reused for 100 or more shopping trips bags, Not energy which are biodegradabl and made e resources from polyester, Must be cotton, or cleaned to other prevent food fibers. contaminatio