Plastic shopping bag
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Plastic shopping bags/Carrier bags are a common type of shopping bag in several countries. They are made of polyethylene (low-density or more "crinkly" high-density) and are cheaper and lighter in weight than their paper counterparts, but lack stiffness. Items shifting within the bag can cause the bag to fall over and spill its contents; this can be prevented by placing rigid items in the sides of the bag to provide support. The handles of these bags also have a tendency to lose elasticity and break under the weight of their contents. Plastic bags hold up better than paper bags when wet, such as in rain. Plastic bags are commonly reused as either garbage bags, or can be recycled along with other plastic containers. As the global climate crisis deepens consumers are starting to take responsibility for their actions and to use resusable cloth bags and other bags like backpacks etc in place of the proverbial one time use plastic shopping bag.
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[edit] Litter and the environment
Plastic bags are notorious for becoming litter. They are known in several countries by names such as "Witches' knickers" because of their unpleasant tendency to blow about and cling to things in the wind. Most do not biodegrade although increasing numbers are made from degradable material. The bags present an entanglement or choking hazard for birds and marine life.
UV-degradable bags are easy to design and manufacture and manufacturers have also made biodegradable (also called oxo-degradable) versions, many using a TDPA additive to speed up the breakdown of plastic into small parts. This is not a solution, however, because these small particles of oil based plastic are toxic to animal populations that confuse them for food -- especially marine life. Breaking the bags into small parts only makes the problem less visible, since these small parts still take upwards of 1000 years to biodegrade. Oxo-degradable bags are also problematic as they release their carbon more quickly into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming at a faster rate than normal plastic bags.
Reusing the bags is a widely recommended approach to reducing their environmental impact. An even better less wasteful way of transporting goods is the usage of cloth shopping bags or using a backpack or other bags/totes that are already owned.
At present the most widely implemented solution to these problems is to reduce the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags were outlawed in South Africa in 2003, they are banned in Bangladesh (where they were blamed for causing flooding during monsoons by clogging drains) and Taiwan. [1] A plastic bag tax was introduced in Ireland in 2002, after which plastic bag usage decreased by almost 90%. [2] The government levy on plastic bags was €0.15 as of 2006. Many retailers in Ireland switched to supplying (untaxed) paper bags, or simply stopped supplying bags. Most supermarkets continued to supply plastic bags, subject to the tax.
Plastic bags are banned in at least 30 villages and towns in Alaska, including the towns of Emmonak, Galena, and Kotlik. [3] A ban on plastic sacks goes into effect towards the end of 2007 in Paris; they are outlawed in all of France starting Jan. 1, 2010. [4] As of March 2007, the city of San Francisco in the US is considering a ban. [5]
Ikea, the home furnishings retailer, imposes its own tax on plastic bags in the US — charging a nickel to any customer who wants a plastic sack. [6] A similar charge has been in place since spring 2006 at Ikea stores in the UK, and the company says it has reduced use of bags in UK stores by 95 percent.[7] Ikea hopes the 5-cent fee in the U.S. cuts bag use in half, from 70 million bags a year to 35 million.
Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that U.S. consumers throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year.[8]
Up-to-date international news regarding regional and country-wide bans of plastic bags can be found here:[9].
Bags can also be made from vegetable-based bioplastic. This material biodegrades quickly and does not leave toxic residue. It also does not produce carbon dioxide beyond what was present in the raw material. However, bioplastic can have its own environmental impacts, depending on the way it is produced. As demand grows for bioplastics, pressure on land to grow plants rises which can provide the raw materials for its production - rainforests and other important habitats.
[edit] Issues by country
[edit] Australia
In Australia shoppers are now encouraged to buy bags called "green bags" which cost a few dollars, but can be reused many times. The bags are coloured green, black and blue. Some "green bags" are insulated for the carrying of hot or cold items.
[edit] France
Growing awareness of the ecological impact of plastic bags have lead main mass retailers to force customers to buy reusable plastic or nonwooven bags. This has been adopted by supermarkets (like Carrefour) - they manage out of that scheme to improve their image and save million on the purchase of the former plastic bags. Nonfood related retailers (like Cloth) tend to prefer to switch to paper bags that allows them to match the ecological demand & updgrade their image on two aspects: ecology & quality.[10]
[edit] Ireland
A few countries have introduced laws to combat this sort of litter, for example: on March 4, 2002 the Republic of Ireland introduced a 15 cent levy on every plastic shopping bag. This led to people cutting down on plastic bags by 95% and using reusable bags. The money gathered by the levy was used to raise money for environmental initiatives.
[edit] Japan
Almost any store you visit in Japan, from convenience stores to street vendors, will also net you a free plastic bag for your purchase. Although there are some supermarkets (like Kyoto Co-op) which charge for plastic bags, this is by no means the norm. Many supermarkets (like Izumiya) will give you extra points on your point-card if you bring your own bag.
[edit] Germany
Generally, most German supermarkets charge between 5 and 10 cents per single-use bag, depending on the type of bag. Most shops also offer cloth bags or sturdier, woven plastic bags for about €1, encouraging shoppers to re-use them. Many high-street retail shops will provide bags free of charge. Most people will re-use single-use shopping bags, i.e. for collecting deposit bottles or using them as bin liners.
[edit] New Zealand
In recent years cloth bags have been promoted and sold by some supermarkets as an alternative to plastic bags. In August 2006 the Collingwood community in Golden Bay declared itself shopping bag free by a group of local residents who promoted the idea. In early 2007 a nationwide campaign was kicked off with the aim of introducing a shopping bag levy similar to Irelands: [11].
[edit] South Africa
Mohammed Valli Moosa, the Environment and Tourism Minister of South Africa, jokingly named them the "national flower" of that country, and worked to introduce a minimum legal thickness of 30 micrometres to increase their cost, reusability, and recyclability. They may not be legally given away to shoppers, and must instead be sold, however this rule is not always enforced strictly.[citation needed]}
[edit] United Kingdom
Growing awareness in the UK of the problems caused by indiscriminate use of plastic bags is encouraging some large retailers to reward customers who bring their own bags or who reuse or recycle existing bags. This has been adopted by Tesco, who call it the 'Green Bag Scheme'. [12]
[edit] United States
Plastic bags largely displaced paper bags as the most common type of shopping bag during the late 1980s and early 1990s. There has been no broad government action against the litter problem, although some local governments have enacted ordinances, and many stores allow customers to return the bags for recycling. Empty bags carried on the wind are popularly known as "urban tumbleweed."
On March 27, 2007, the City and County of San Francisco became the first city to ban a certain kind of plastic bag. Starting July 2007, all large supermarkets in the state of California will be required, by law, to takeback and recycle plastic shopping bags. [13]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- 45% reduction in Plastic bags from retailers in Australia, May 23, 2006.
- Solution: switch to paper carrier bags
- [14] a cloth bag company
- [15] 10 ways to reduce your carbon emissions
- [16] Alternative to the plastic bag in the United States
