Since the appearance of plastic bags in stores in the United States in the late 1970s, they have been presented all over the world. When buying any items from stores, most buyers are served plastic bags to wrap or package. The first plastic bag was invented 150 years ago, soon after, consumers around the world quickly realized that plastic bags were the most common way of packing goods. Plastic bags have such common usage mainly because they are strong and convenient (Hayabuchi et al., 2005). The convenience of plastic bag in daily life is undeniable. Life seems to be difficult if one day there are no plastic bags. Globally, between four and five trillion plastic bags are produced each year (Ellis et al., 2005). Indeed, the introduction of
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This is a controversial issue, and it is stressful for policy makers. They have to evaluate and consider on different aspects of the problem to make a reasonable policy to help the country develop sustainably. For the problem of plastic bags, they have to balance between several factors and perspectives like economics, environments, science, so on. At present, some states in the U.S., like California, have passed prohibition of plastic bags; otherwise, some other states, like Michigan, banned banning plastic bags (Harvey, 2016). By analyzing and comparing the pros and cons of plastic bags to American life, this essay argues that the ban on plastic bags is absolutely necessary in addressing environmental issues for long term. It will make three significant contributions in terms of environmental pollution, consumer behavior, and sustainable …show more content…
With light weight, plastic bags can easily be moved a great distance by wind or water flow. They are trapped in trees, fences, or float in water, and increasingly causing the garbage patch to get bigger in the ocean. These are harmful to wildlife and marine life because some animals mistake the plastic bags for food and consume them. There are some cases animals become entangled inside the plastic bags, which leads to the death of these creatures. Moreover, this also indirectly has an adverse effect on human health because of the food web. When human eat the animals that infected with chemicals from plastic bags, these chemicals can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in the body. Over time, they will cause cancer, and develop other serious conditions. Additionally, plastic bags are produced from non-renewable resources such as petroleum, ethylene and coal (Environment Protection and Heritage Council, 2002; Wan, 2008). A lot of energy is also used in producing plastic bags, so these reasons contribute to climate change. Plastic bags do not degrade easily, which they just break down into small tiny pieces. Plastic bag wastes are not easy to recycle, they end up in landfill and take many years to decompose. Some solutions are offered to clean or remove plastic bags from the environment, but they are extremely expensive and hard.
This is a controversial issue, and it is stressful for policy makers. They have to evaluate and consider on different aspects of the problem to make a reasonable policy to help the country develop sustainably. For the problem of plastic bags, they have to balance between several factors and perspectives like economics, environments, science, so on. At present, some states in the U.S., like California, have passed prohibition of plastic bags; otherwise, some other states, like Michigan, banned banning plastic bags (Harvey, 2016). By analyzing and comparing the pros and cons of plastic bags to American life, this essay argues that the ban on plastic bags is absolutely necessary in addressing environmental issues for long term. It will make three significant contributions in terms of environmental pollution, consumer behavior, and sustainable …show more content…
With light weight, plastic bags can easily be moved a great distance by wind or water flow. They are trapped in trees, fences, or float in water, and increasingly causing the garbage patch to get bigger in the ocean. These are harmful to wildlife and marine life because some animals mistake the plastic bags for food and consume them. There are some cases animals become entangled inside the plastic bags, which leads to the death of these creatures. Moreover, this also indirectly has an adverse effect on human health because of the food web. When human eat the animals that infected with chemicals from plastic bags, these chemicals can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in the body. Over time, they will cause cancer, and develop other serious conditions. Additionally, plastic bags are produced from non-renewable resources such as petroleum, ethylene and coal (Environment Protection and Heritage Council, 2002; Wan, 2008). A lot of energy is also used in producing plastic bags, so these reasons contribute to climate change. Plastic bags do not degrade easily, which they just break down into small tiny pieces. Plastic bag wastes are not easy to recycle, they end up in landfill and take many years to decompose. Some solutions are offered to clean or remove plastic bags from the environment, but they are extremely expensive and hard.