Bags the Question
Single use plastic bags are quickly becoming endangered species around the world. Most initiatives have started at a local level but now California aims to become the first state to ban the use of plastic bags. The movement behind the ban is to reduce the overall use of plastics, which is among the least sustainable products made. The problem with plastics is that it’s made from fossil fuels, but the most damaging aspect is it cannot biodegrade. While the overall goal of reducing plastics is undoubtably good for the environment it begs the question of how effective are these programs.
For starters the elimination of plastic bags doesn’t eliminate the need for plastic bags, they’re simply replaced with reusable plastic/nylon bags. This leads to several problems with the overall reduction in the use of plastics. First many of these reusable bags are likely to be made where cheap labor is abundant, resulting in the huge cost of having to transport them around the world. Luckily the solution can be easily amended but for now it can be an issue. Secondly these bags have one purpose in mind and that is to pack items for transportation. The problem is, while single use plastic bags can be reused as garbage bags, the reusable bags cannot . If consumers need to buy extra garbage along with their reusable bags then the overall reduction of plastics may be negligible. Lastly reusable bags simple aren’t as convenient as single use bags because they require more preplanning when shopping. Many people will likely forget to bring their reusable bag and end up purchasing another one which continues to accumulate to a hoarder like situation.
In all the problems dictated aren’t overwhelming but do pose a sizable threat in the overall reduction of plastics. The solution is to encourage the use of biodegradable reusable bags instead of just reusable bags made of plastic/nylon. Also paper bags should still offered whether it is free or not. What is troubling is before plastic bags were banned many grocers offered either plastic or paper but since the bans these options have turned into whether you want bags. If outlets were serious about reducing the use of plastics then plastic bags shouldn’t even be a potential option regardless of charging a small fee. To summarize the initiative to ban plastic bags is a step towards becoming more sustainable but the execution still leaves room for further improvement.
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