Plastic waste causes many problems around the globe, and single-use plastics are the largest offender. However, plastic is still cheap, easy to make, and valuable in packaging. Here we explore the pros and cons of banning such plastics.
One of the most prominent pros of a ban is that there will be much less plastic waste. Instead of throwing away hundreds of single-use plastic straws, you will only need one reusable straw. Instead of using a plastic bag every time you go to the grocery store, you can bring your own reusable cloth bag.
As an effort toward such reduction, the UK banned plastic straws, coffee stirrers, cutlery, and food packaging. Australia also has a ban on plastic bags. France has also banned plastic on vegetables and fruit. Together, these bans have reduced the amount of plastic waste from packaging, and the EU plans to impose more bans over the next decade to further reduce plastic pollution from these single-use plastics.
According to a publication by the EU, the bans currently imposed and the ones they plan to impose in the future should cut littering of the top 10 most common single-use plastics by 50%, prevent carbon dioxide emissions of 3.4 million tons per year, prevent billions of environmental damage, and save consumers billions.
Most plastic waste is used in packaging, with 141 million tons of plastic packaging waste generated in 2015. This environmental plastic has been linked to cancers, hormone disruption, and infertility.
However, the journey from the field to the supermarket requires some sort of packaging. Plastic packaging is most commonly replaced with cardboard. The problem is, food is more easily damaged in cardboard than in plastic. Damaged food means more food waste, and cardboard is also heavier. Together, that means more trucks are needed to carry the same amount of product. When you take into account the entire transportation chain, cardboard may be a worse option than plastic.
An assessment of the life cycle of plastic, paper, and cloth bags found that cloth and paper had the highest negative impacts. The only way paper and cloth bags can pull over are if they are reused many times.
There may, however, be other materials with the potential for replacing plastic. Markets in Delhi, for example, use banana leaf containers and cutlery made of natural material. Though these banana leaf containers are slowly being phased out, technological upgrades, such as the technique developed by a 20-year-old that prevents leaves from degrading for up to 3 years, could make these the primary packaging in the future.
Until banana leaf containers take over the world, however, it seems the best option is to reuse your bag as much as possible.
One of the most prominent pros of a ban is that there will be much less plastic waste. Instead of throwing away hundreds of single-use plastic straws, you will only need one reusable straw. Instead of using a plastic bag every time you go to the grocery store, you can bring your own reusable cloth bag.
As an effort toward such reduction, the UK banned plastic straws, coffee stirrers, cutlery, and food packaging. Australia also has a ban on plastic bags. France has also banned plastic on vegetables and fruit. Together, these bans have reduced the amount of plastic waste from packaging, and the EU plans to impose more bans over the next decade to further reduce plastic pollution from these single-use plastics.
According to a publication by the EU, the bans currently imposed and the ones they plan to impose in the future should cut littering of the top 10 most common single-use plastics by 50%, prevent carbon dioxide emissions of 3.4 million tons per year, prevent billions of environmental damage, and save consumers billions.
Most plastic waste is used in packaging, with 141 million tons of plastic packaging waste generated in 2015. This environmental plastic has been linked to cancers, hormone disruption, and infertility.
However, the journey from the field to the supermarket requires some sort of packaging. Plastic packaging is most commonly replaced with cardboard. The problem is, food is more easily damaged in cardboard than in plastic. Damaged food means more food waste, and cardboard is also heavier. Together, that means more trucks are needed to carry the same amount of product. When you take into account the entire transportation chain, cardboard may be a worse option than plastic.
An assessment of the life cycle of plastic, paper, and cloth bags found that cloth and paper had the highest negative impacts. The only way paper and cloth bags can pull over are if they are reused many times.
There may, however, be other materials with the potential for replacing plastic. Markets in Delhi, for example, use banana leaf containers and cutlery made of natural material. Though these banana leaf containers are slowly being phased out, technological upgrades, such as the technique developed by a 20-year-old that prevents leaves from degrading for up to 3 years, could make these the primary packaging in the future.
Until banana leaf containers take over the world, however, it seems the best option is to reuse your bag as much as possible.
