Plastic bags have achieved a position of importance in the world of day-to-day commerce. Grocery stores, department stores, convenience stores and specialty stores of all types provide plastic bags so their customers can easily carry their purchases. Varied sources, such as The Sunday Times Online, suggest that a controversy of sorts has developed around just how bad plastic bags really are. Although they may have some useful qualities, there is plenty of evidence that plastic bags may not represent our best option for carrying our groceries and goods.
Growth Industry
Plastic bags came to dominate the grocery and convenience store market shortly after their introduction in the late 1980s, according to National Geographic news. Water-resistant, sturdy, easily carried and relatively inexpensive to manufacture in bulk, these handy products have captured more than 80 percent of the grocery and convenience market. A mind-boggling 4 to 5 trillion bags were produced worldwide in 2002, according to World Watch.
Slow Breakdown
Plastic bags break down slowly, posing significant environmental problems. Estimates noted at ABC Australia suggest it takes 20 to 1000 years for plastic bags to decompose. Even when they degrade in appropriate places like landfills, plastic bags interfere with landfill operations by disrupting moisture distribution and flow of dissolved solids, as reported at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Environmental Hazard
Plastic bags litter cityscapes, countrysides and waterways of the world. They clog gutters and grates, contributing to flooding. Business Green describes environmental problems in India caused by plastic bags. India's largest state banned plastic bags in 2010. The ban came after local municipalities complained of flooding due to sewer grates and drainage systems blocked by plastic bags. In 2005, Mumbai, India, had massive flooding that was linked to drains blocked by plastic bags. This flooding led to the death of over 1,000 people. Plastic bags were posited as major causes of flooding in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998, notes National Geographic.
Animal Hazard
Plastic bags pose significant problems to wildlife. Marine animals consume plastic bags, mistaking it for food. As many as 100,000 mammals and birds die each year from consuming plastic bags, according to some estimates cited on Britannica.
World Response
Around the world, states and nations strive to curb hazards created by plastic bags. South Africa, Singapore and Taiwan are just a few of the countries to enact legislation to reduce plastic bag use, reports ABC Australia. For example, Ireland enacted a plastic bag tax that reduced plastic bag use by 90 percent within six months.
Recycling
Recycling can help, but will likely have a limited impact. Thicker plastic bags made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) can't be recycled. Thin plastic bags, such as those used in grocery stores, are made of high-density polyethylene, and they can be recycled. However, due to the limited mass of recyclable HDPE available for processing, most recycling pickup services do not recycle HDPE. Consumers must take their bags to recycle pickup stations that process HDPE, an effort that costs more in gas and associated carbon emissions than it saves.
Alternatives
People can reuse their plastic bags, but the bags at best still eventually end up gumming up the decomposition process at landfills.
Paper bags may not represent a great alternative. The Society of the Plastics Industry offers sobering statistics, cited at National Geographic. Plastic grocery bags produce 80 percent less solid waste, require 40 percent less energy to produce, release 70 percent fewer emissions and emit as much as 94 percent fewer water-based wastes
Perhaps the best option is to simply reduce reliance on plastic bags. Many grocery stores offer cheap, sturdy reusable bags. These bags are usually made of a light, durable nonwoven polypropylene fabric. Fabric bags are significantly stronger and more durable than plastic bags, and they are easier to carry because they have handles.
References
- Britannica: Plastic Bags & Animals: Making the Wild Safe for Wildlife
- Business Green: Rajasthan Bans Use of Plastic Bags
- National Geographic: Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment?
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Frequently Asked Questions About Plastic Shopping Bags
- World Watch: Good Stuff? - Plastic Bags
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