Plastic Bags Should Be Banned? A Critical Analysis PDF

# Plastic Bags Should Be Banned - Have you ever been driving or walking somewhere on a windy day and saw plastic bags blowing through the air? This kind of pollution hurts our environment. It also doesn't look pretty. - Many places are now banning the use of plastic bags. This effort should be full...

# Plastic Bags Should Be Banned - Have you ever been driving or walking somewhere on a windy day and saw plastic bags blowing through the air? This kind of pollution hurts our environment. It also doesn't look pretty. - Many places are now banning the use of plastic bags. This effort should be fully supported. Plastic bag bans reduce the cost of goods, help marine life, and decrease mosquito populations. ## Why banning plastic bags would be beneficial? - Stores have to factor in the cost of disposable plastic bags. This results in customers having to pay more for goods so the store can make up that cost. If plastic bags are banned, shoppers could save $18-$30 each year because prices on goods would be more reasonable. - Additionally, people would be buying reusable bags. This would lead to increased job opportunities for reusable bag manufacturers. Reusable bags also last longer and can be easily cleaned. - **Marine life often suffers because of plastic bags.** Sea animals mistake plastic bags for jellyfish or plankton. Then, they eat the litter and become sick or even die. Scientists estimate that 60% of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic. They also predict that number will rise to 99% by 2050. If plastic bags were banned, however, they wouldn't end up in our waterways. Marine life would be safer, and our oceans would be much healthier. - **Plastic bags are also responsible for mosquito problems.** When plastic bags collect on the land, they often fill with rainwater. "Any piece of plastic that can hold rainwater is a potential breeding site," says Dutch entomologist Bart Knols. "The more plastic waste lying around, the more breeding sites; the more breeding sites, the more mosquitoes; the more mosquitoes, the higher the risk of disease transmission." Diseases such as West Nile and Zika pose threats to humans. When people stop using plastic bags, pollution is reduced. The chance of creating these dangerous breeding grounds is limited. ## Arguments Against Banning Plastic Bags - You might argue that using plastic bags is so convenient, but how convenient is it to live in a polluted world? Can you stand to see another sea animal harmed? Do you enjoy swarms of disease-filled insects? Is paying higher prices at stores worth it? - Plastic bags should definitely be banned. Doing so will create lower prices on goods, protect marine life, and reduce dangerous mosquito populations. # **Plastic Bags Aren't to Blame** - Whenever people talk about pollution of the environment, banning plastic bags comes up in the discussion. It is not fair, however, to single out plastic bags. Eliminating them doesn't fix the problem completely. Plastic bags should not be banned. Other items do more harm. Plastic bags are easy to keep from becoming pollution and they are convenient in today's world. ## Focus on other environmental issues: - **Oceans have become dumping grounds in recent times. Water pollution is a huge problem. It puts marine life in jeopardy. Plastic bags aren't the only garbage in our oceans, though. Oil spills are more frequent and do far more damage to marine life than plastic bags.** According to Dr. Roger Lederer, a former professor of biological sciences at California State University, over 500,000 birds die due to oil spills each year. Oil spills are also very hard to clean. Keeping plastic bags out of the ocean, however, is as simple as disposing of them properly. - **Plastic bags can be easily reused or recycled.** This keeps them from ending up as pollution on land or in water. Even bags that do end up as litter are not expensive to clean up. Many products can also be made from recycled plastic bags, such as traffic cones and carpeting. People need to try harder to bring their plastic bags to recycling bins located at stores. We could then continue to use them without worrying about them becoming a hazard. # **Plastic Bags are Convenient** - In today's world, people are in a hurry. They don't always have the time to grab reusable shopping bags. Maybe they were so busy they simply forgot to bring reusable bags to the store. Plastic bags are a convenient option for people on a hectic schedule. Reusable bags also cost money that some people might not have to spare. - People may argue that plastic bags create problems. Our world is facing much bigger issues, however, such as global warming. Should we really be worried about plastic bags? Our efforts would be better spent on finding solutions to more pressing situations. Plastic bags should not be banned. They aren't the most dangerous forms of pollution. They are easy to keep from becoming litter in the first place. Finally, they are convenient in our everyday lives.