Surely you already know that plastic pollutes the planet, since it accumulates in any corner of it and takes too long to begin to degrade, even some plastic materials can remain almost intact for centuries. In addition, some such as plastic bags harm flora and fauna directly. For example, the water contamination from plastic bags causes thousands of fish and other animals such as cetaceans, turtles and birds to die.
Next, in Green Ecologist, we reveal why the environmental impact of plastic bags is huge and what solutions can we implement.
Why plastic bags pollute the environment
The plastic bags consume large amounts of energy to manufacture, they are composed of substances derived from oil, which can take more than half a century to degrade. Also, screen-printed bags may contain toxic metal residues.
The vast majority end up being disposed of without control, polluting both cities and natural ecosystems. In the sea its impact can be lethal for animals such as turtles, whales or dolphins, which die after ingestion or entanglement in them. For all this and more, the environmental impact of plastic bags it is much worse than it may seem at first.
How to reduce plastic bags and their impact
The United States and the European Union consume 80% of world production, although its generalization in developing countries is compounding the problem. In Spain, each citizen consumes an average of 238 plastic bags per year: more than 97,000 tons, according to Cicloplast, which groups together manufacturers and distributors of bags, of which barely 10% is recycled.
For this reason, some countries are raising various measures to reduce the use of plastic bags. A possible solution is to replace the material of these bags with other fully biodegradable materials. In Spain, the Ministry of the Environment intends in a few years for 70% of the bags to have this property. In France, a 2005 Law on Agricultural Policy provides that by 2010 all plastic bags should be biodegradable. Likewise, awareness campaigns in this country have managed to reduce the use of conventional bags by 20%.
Also, more and more inventions are being created to clean the oceans of plastic.
What can I do to reduce the use of plastic bags
Maybe knowing this problem, now you ask yourself What can you do about. These are just a few ideas:
- Use cloth bags, wicker baskets, and similar materials to replace shopping bags and to store things around the house.
- If you buy few things, avoid using bags, unless you carry your own shopping bag.
- Reuse the bags with original ideas for your home, for example create baskets.
- Recycle the bags correctly in the plastic container, the yellow one.
- If you see plastic bags on the ground or in the water, pick them up and throw them in the correct container.
- Help make others aware of this problem and how to help rectify it, especially the little ones.
If you want to read more articles similar to The environmental impact of plastic bags is huge, we recommend that you enter our Recycling and waste management category.
