Those are the kinds of topics that I focus on in my research. The larger takeaway is that no bag is free of environmental impact, whether thats contributing to climate change, ocean pollution, water scarcity, or pesticide use. How many plastic bags are replaced by one cotton tote bag? Of those 48, 16 had publicly available air pollution data, so I took a look at that group. Still, many environmentalists argue that plastic is worse than paper. Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. If so, awesome, although we should probably talk about why youre that obsessed with your tote bag. Theres the impact of material, if it makes it into the environment as litter, theres the impact of the production of it on emissions and climate. And so in terms of ranking those, that would be my order, taxes, hybrid bands, and then least preferred standalone bands. "Exactly what happens to a plastic bag when it is littered depends very much on where it enters the environment and the mechanisms that cause it . READ MORE. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. In 2018 though, 68.1 percent of paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling, which is a really impressive number, although its worth noting that paper fibers become weaker each time theyre recycled, so there are still limitations to that. But theres also so much nuance to this issue, and its important to consider these consequences of bag bans as we come up with the best possible solutions. ETHAN: The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. Its right up there with Taylor Swifts jet, Beyond Burgers, and figuring out which soup is best for throwing at artwork. And then sometimes theres these added responses that are unintended. And so my recommendation is to use as few bags as you can reuse the ones that you do purchase and purchase your bags, make it an active decision. Single-use plastics seem to be disappearing. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. Or do state governments get to say, when local governments do implement the policies, theres a concern that it causes a patchwork of policies that might harm businesses, confused customers. Often they need to be reused at least 100, if not more times, to be more environmentally friendly than those thin plastic bags that were so familiar with. Heres Dr. Taylor discussing some of her research on that front. In that case, it was the simple act of instead of automatically giving customers a straw with their drink, bringing the drink without a straw. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. Right now! Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. Improperly discarded bags have polluted waterways, clogged sewers, and been found in oceans, affecting the ecosystem of marine creatures. In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. Once ethylene is turned into plastic, its not harmful, youre not going to get a disease just by touching a plastic bag, unless its March 2020 when every cashier in America was convinced thats how Covid spreads. I also looked at paper bags as well. Eastern Hemlocks Are Declining. The reasons for papers higher carbon footprint are complex, but can mostly be understood as stemming from the fact that paper bags are much thicker than plastic bags. How do we do that? Many supermarkets have experimented with bag bonuses trying to get people to reuse their either bags by giving them five cents, and they havent found them to be particularly effective. Im really proud of this one and I hope you enjoy it! So have at least 88 localities in California, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus cities and towns in more than a dozen other states and more than a dozen other countries. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? Plastic bags are made from non-renewable sources and on this account, highly contribute to climate change. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. The Secrets of Covid Brain Fog Are Starting to Lift. Increasingly, environmentalists are pushing for laws that include fees for all single-use bags, and that require paper bags to be made with recycled content, which could lower their carbon footprint. Dr. Taylor, could you tell us a bit about your background and research interests? And so this is a really tense issue around. Well discuss the extent to which plastic bags are a problem, some of the shortcomings of the trendier solutions, and some other less commonly discussed ideas for how to most sustainably and effectively move forward. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. [booo] Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. First off, this sort of tax does hit low income communities the hardest, since they spend a larger percentage of their monthly income on food. A pound of cotton requires more than 5,000 gallons of water on average, a thirst far greater than that of any vegetable and even most meats. Not easy to recycle 7. Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. Thank you all for listening, and Ill see you next week. If they dont get reused a certain amount of time. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Like, get a life, man. Also, this question is something like asking, Would you prefer to get a parking ticket or a tax assessment? It depends on the specifics, but its better to avoid both wherever possible. Goldstein is confident that if people switch to reusable bags, even cotton ones, and use them consistently, that will ultimately be better for the environment. And do you think that it is more broadly true that cracking down on one specific plastic product can have rebound effects with other plastic products, or is this maybe a more isolated case that you found? Seeing how nuanced this issue is, I asked Dr. Taylor what the next steps could look like. Scientists believe lasting symptoms following a coronavirus infection is not a single disorder. Listen Up America: You Need to Learn How to Recycle. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker? [ding ding ding] Wow, that was a tough one. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. That signals to customers that these arent reusable products. ETHAN: Clips today came from 23 ABC News. Increasingly, environmentalists are pushing for laws that include fees for all single-use bags, and that require paper bags to be made with recycled content, which could lower their carbon footprint. As the Australian study noted, a cotton bag has major environmental impacts of its own. Because we do see such a strong response of having to pay for your bag, when you have to pay for your bag, it makes it an active decision, instead of just default, getting a whole bunch of bags that you dont really think about, we find that bag taxes are actually as effective as bag bans, and getting people to change their behavior, potentially without some of the unintended consequences of completely eliminating an option making people switch to other bags, which might actually be more harmful for the environment. However, when you just have a ban, and you dont consider the substitutes, thats when we see the largest unintended consequences. That way youre reducing the amount of material thats going into the product, but you still want it to be something that youll actually find convenient and reuse with you. So if its not effective, and its expensive, its not a recommended policy tool. [wrong buzz] Aw, dammit, I was so close! Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Thats leading to a split in the anti-bag movement. ITS PAPER. If someone wants a straw, they can ask and get it, no questions asked. [booo] Yeah, that was even rough for my standards. Again, because this is what I tell people all the time. If a plastic bag is reused in the home as the garbage bag in a bathroom waste bin, does that reduce its footprint by eliminating the need for another small plastic garbage bag? The shift from one single-use bag to another single-use bag may improve one environmental outcome, but be offset by another environmental impact.. The instinct to favor reusable bags springs from an understandable urge to reduce our chronic overconsumption, but the bags we use are not the big problem. Now a hybrid ban, where you ban a particular thin plastic or film plastic, as long as theres also consideration for the other types of bags such as paper bags, and reusable bags, and requiring stores to charge for those other bags. I hardly know her! Saying go to your room doesnt actually solve anything, but hey, its easier than having an intelligent conversation with a six-year-old. ITS INSATIABLE! ETHAN: Today we are talking about bags: a word that simultaneously means a container with an open top used for carrying things, a lot of money, and any goal youve ever had in your life. Now, for various reasons, political reasons, taxes are often not favored by politicians, because people dont like the word tax. ETHAN: I think this paper that you did goes to a larger conversation about plastic because we do often zero in on specific products, will complain about straws or about bags or about bottles. First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker? Featuring special guest Dr. Rebecca Taylor, Senior Lecturer of Economics at the University of Sydney. Again. But not just anywhere. Come with external costs 9. Facebook, Follow us on Its not easy being a green consumer, in part because there are these different dimensions of environmental impact. Now, a new law hopes to take things a step further by banning these: single-use plastic pre-checkout bags that are not recyclable and can contaminate compost facilities. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. As far as I know, nobody has done the definitive analysis, which would necessarily need to have a large number of caveats and qualifications. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group. Thats right, its always the one you most suspect. The Ike Dike is the Army Corps of Engineers largest project ever. If you melt a plastic bag down, you can absolutely recycle that polyethylene, and in fact, recycled high-density polyethylene has about a third of the carbon footprint of virgin high-density polyethylene. Heres why thats a big deal. The remaining 21 percent, of course, came from the Kardashians. Will we use our cotton tote hundreds or thousands of times? Of those 48, 16 had publicly available air pollution data, so I took a look at that group. (Cindy) Works Cited. Another entirely different approach could be making plastic bags more sustainable. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. Not So Fast by Ben Adler The author of the piece Ben Adler agrees that plastic bags have an adverse impact on the environment. So that means fewer animals getting entangled over time which is good, but unfortunately, it also means plastic bags take a lot less time to become microplastics. Heres Why That Matters. ETHAN: Welcome to episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin: Antarcticas Hottest Podcast. NADJA: Its perfectly harmless, Laszlo. How many plastic bags are replaced by one cotton tote bag? But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. And in pretty much any case, people shift to an alternative type of grocery bag, and while plastic is unique in that it does not decompose, other types of bags have issues of their own. In other words, rather than emitting carbon, they would take carbon out of the atmosphere. Course Hero, a tutoring business last valued by investors at $3.6 billion, has cut 15% of staff, or 42 people its first round of layoffs . WIRED 181k followers More information Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? This is often called border shopping. Spoiler alert: plastics parents got divorced at age eleven and it still isnt over it. Shortly after, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require acharge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. [wrong buzz, rewind] Cracker? Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. This really needs to be top priority. I also mistake plastic bags for food sometimes, and let me tell you, Walmart makes a delicious tall kitchen. If your chief concern is climate change, things get even muddier. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Christmas: no, were not going to stop. Microplastics can be ingested by anyone from seabirds to fish to even humans through our food and water, and can cause health issues, reduce appetites, and even increase the risk of mortality. A substantial shift to more durable bags would deliver environmental gains through reductions in greenhouse gases, energy and water use, resource depletion and litter, the study concluded. Animals can become entangled in the bags and drown or mistake the bags for food which can clog their intestines and cause them to starve. Aw, dammit, I was so close! And just like that, a step towards zero waste is taken, and it feels good. the more right . If you want to take two minutes to help out The Sweaty Penguin, you can either leave us a five star rating and review or join our Patreon at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin. ETHAN: Beyond climate though, crackers cause a lot of issues for surrounding communities. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. But University of Sydneys Dr. Rebecca Taylor says not so fast. I mean, I know it loves to hang at the cracker plants and all but wouldnt it have more fun hanging out with other creatures of the night? ETHAN: Specifically, well be talking about grocery bags. All rights reserved. And now theyre using a thicker product with more packaging. The larger takeaway is that no bag is free of environmental impact, whether thats contributing to climate change, ocean pollution, water scarcity, or pesticide use. Im your host, Ethan Brown. In fact, every region of the US has a different energy mix. So its a bit nuanced. Microsoft quietly supported legislation to make it easier to fix devices. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Now, obviously, there are still benefits of reducing our consumption of plastic. If they were going to use a slur for white people, why not name it Karen or Wonderbread? The one perk with bans is that its by far the easiest policy to explain and enforce. Reader support helps sustain our work. According to the Ocean Conservancys 2020 Coastal Cleanup Report, plastic grocery bags ranked number 6 for trash in the ocean. All that said, paper is made from trees, meaning paper bags contribute to deforestation. In fact, every region of the U.S. has a different energy mix. And what I found was the policies were very successful in reducing the amount of plastic carry out bags people used at supermarkets, it goes to zero as you would expect with a ban. It may not be big enough. ETHAN: Does this mean bag bans are bad or bag alternatives are bad? Our world faces increasingly severe hurricanes, wildfires, floods, heat waves, and more, but grocery bags have somehow become one of the hottest environmental topics. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. And as you mentioned, tote bags can be actually more harmful. Its taken long enough. Hopefully its not laced with xylene! This episode of The Sweaty Penguin explores a wide range of issues including plastic bag manufacturing and looks at the shortcomings of some proposed solutions.
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