According to extrapolated Environmental Protection Agency data, between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide annually (Roach 2003). This isn't like a one and done, we passed this bill and we're never going to talk about plastic bags again,” he said. But our reliance on single use plastics - bottles, packaging, straws, coffee cups - needs action. If we do figure out how to properly process them, compostable plastics could lend a helping hand when it comes to traditional plastic recycling too.
It was discovered that plastics use fewer chemicals, less water and the amount of greenhouse gas emitted is significantly low. Pictures of turtles and dolphins swimming amongst huge amounts of illegally dumped waste is commonplace, with many dying as a result of swallowing plastic bags that are mistaken for food.
Imagine if all stretch storage lids of us stop asking for plastic bags the factories will have no reason to make them - they can then start making beautiful cloth bags. It should finally be noted that some argue that plastic bags were never used before 1970 and thus we should return to this.
The founder of plastics recycling advocacy group Remix Plastic, Anthea Madill, says "plastic free" is a worthy but very difficult goal. Floating masses of garbage offshore from some of the Caribbean's pristine beaches are testimony to a vast and growing problem of plastic pollution heedlessly dumped in our oceans, locals, activists and experts say.
As a society we are realising the damage that single-use plastic is doing to the environment. Plastic bags are produced with ethylene, a by-product of oil and gas production. Today, we commit to facilitating the prevention, reduction and removal of 50 million metric tons of plastic waste in rivers, oceans, landscapes and landfills by 2030.
Straws are also one of the most picked up items during beach clean ups.3 Recently an Australian diver, Kasey Turner, went snorkelling in Manly beach and found a whopping 319 straws after just 20 minutes in the water. Banning plastics does not add significant value to environmental conservation.