Heres Why That Matters. One of the most comprehensive research papers on the environmental impact of bags, published in 2007 by an Australian state government agency, found that paper bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. How bad was Tucker Carlson for the planet. (The crunchy rich should already have more than enough tote bags from PBS and Whole Foods.). Its the same you know, it gets rolled into the price of your groceries the same way that youre paying for the cashiers, and the store workers and the age back and all of that you are paying for your plastic bags, but you dont see that what we call marginal cost per plastic bag. So I often tell people, if theyre choosing a bag, you want to choose a bag that you are going to reuse that could be a thin bag, then plastic bag, or it could be a nylon bag, which is technically still plastic, but is a woven plastic thats fairly lightweight, and thus, perhaps not going to have the same environmental impact as a heavier plastic or a cloth bag. If they dont get reused a certain amount of time. Yes, this was a paper that was interested in how sometimes we dont always think about how people respond to policies, theyre sort of the obvious response. How many plastic bags are replaced by one cotton tote bag? California became the first to introduce regulations banning single-use plastic bags in August 2014. All three counties are majority minority, the first two are over a third low income, and according to data from Texas Rising, if you rank all 254 counties in Texas for the overall environmental and social burdens they face, these three counties come in at #3, #8, and #53. Those are the kinds of topics that I focus on in my research. Plastic bags are not biodegradable and can do great harms to wildlife. Heres just one tiny example: Does the paper for paper bags come from a recycled paper mill on Staten Island or a virgin forest in northern Canada? These residents are trying to keep them out. Thats leading to a split in the anti-bag movement. For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids flow. Scientists are getting closer to understanding the neurology behind the memory problems and cognitive fuzziness that an infection can trigger. 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? ETHAN: Given all this nuance weve explored pertaining to carry out bags, grocery bags, is there any advice you have for individuals who want to do their part? So if its something thats easy to keep in your car, or in your purse or in your backpack that you know youll reuse, then thats going to be the bag for you. How do we make polyethylene? California and Hawaii already have . Cracker plants release air pollutants such as benzene which is linked to cancer and childhood leukemia, toluene which is linked to birth defects and brain, liver, and kidney problems, formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen, and particulate matter which is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and lung and bladder cancer. The first time you say your dog ate it, its a funny story, but by the fifth time, youre definitely going to fail first grade. What she finds is actually leave the bag bonuses really dont have an effect. Does it get recycled? Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? 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. Shortly after, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a. But it turns out that charging people to use bags is not the same as paying them to bring reusable bags. Amid fracking boom, Pennsylvania faces toxic wastewater reckoning. NADJA: Its perfectly harmless, Laszlo. A tweak could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands. NADJA: After much deliberation, Nandor and I have invited a new resident into the house. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for. NADJA: Will you at least go and talk to it? Cause of environmental pollution 2. In all fairness, every material has a climate impact, and high-density polyethylene is not that bad if you stack its carbon footprint against other materials or even other plastics. I also mistake plastic bags for food sometimes, and let me tell you, Walmart makes a delicious tall kitchen. 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. Instagram, Follow us on Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. Politicians "looking for something to do" like banning plastic bags routinely do more harm than good. Eat one less meat dish a week thats what will have a real impact on the environment, says Tyler. ETHAN: So where do we go from here? People look at [paper] and say its degradable, therefore its much better for the environment, but its not in terms of climate change impact, says David Tyler, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon who has examined the research on the environmental impact of bag use. Were finding that hybrid bands can be as you know, as successful as the taxes, just standalone taxes. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. You get merch, bonus content, and more. Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. Often, the problem shifts. Harmful to human health 6. 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? Saying go to your room doesnt actually solve anything, but hey, its easier than having an intelligent conversation with a six-year-old. Not So Fast Advocates for plastic bag bans often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. Improperly discarded bags have polluted waterways, clogged sewers, and been found in oceans, affecting the ecosystem of marine creatures. And so I was interested in understanding to what degree does a patchwork of policies actually lead customers to switch where theyre shopping. The ideal city bag policy would probably involve charging for paper and plastic single-use bags, as New York City has decided to do, while giving out reusable recycled-plastic bags to those who need them, especially to low-income communities and seniors. Right now, one of the best ways to help Grist continue to thrive is by becoming a monthly member. [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. In addition to being my celebrity couple name with a girl named Polly, polyethylene is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. 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. But not just anywhere. And these different dimensions? One of the most comprehensive research papers on the environmental impact of bags, published in 2007 by anAustralian state government agency, found that paper bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. Even studies conducted with the purest of intentions depend on any number of assumptions. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. Whats more? Thats right, the solution to single use plastic isnt bans, its awkwardness! But advocates of these laws and journalists who cover the issue often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. Thats right, I said it. (The crunchy rich should already have more than enough tote bags from PBS and Whole Foods.). the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. 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. So I wont rehash it all today, but if you listen to our episodes on fracking or the Permian Basin or the Haynesville Shale, youll learn a little bit about the villain origin story of plastic bags, and some of the many issues to which they contribute. In fact, it may not even be the most effective option. 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? 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. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed As great as it is to see policy efforts get going, we want to hold them accountable and make sure they actually make the biggest positive impact possible. Fees have a smaller, but still significant, effect. 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. There are also policy options that dont involve bans. Come on, why have we not tried this yet? Facebook, Follow us on There are eight states that ban single-use plastic bags, and these are Oregon, Vermont, California, Hawaii, Delaware, New York, Maine, and Connecticut. Donate today to keep our climate news free. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. LASZLO: What I want to know is why I wasnt consulted in inviting this creature into our home. And so I think, and subsidies can be quite expensive for governments to run or source to run. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. Throwing This Out Here: Plastic Bags Are Amazing and You Should Appreciate Them More, Trash Is Ugly, But Recycling Is Downright Beautiful. Its like the Snapchat of ocean trash its no YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, but its still relevant. ETHAN: Hopefully ethylene makes its What We Do In The Shadows debut in season five. 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. Im curious, in your work looking at plastic bags or plastic in general, if there have been any cases of people being irrational actors in the market that just really surprised you or stood out to you. In fact, we can take it a step further. Again. There are so very many variables. Already in Massachusetts, 32 towns and cities have passed bag bans or fees. 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. [wind blowing, floors creaking, various night time sounds]. Eat one less meat dish a weekthats what will have a real impact on the environment, says Tyler. The shift from one single-use bag to another single-use bag may improve one environmental outcome, but be offset by another environmental impact.. New York's ban will take effect in 2020 but will apply to single-use plastic bags you can get at grocery stores or retailers. The Ike Dike is the Army Corps of Engineers largest project ever. 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. In May 2016, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. And cotton, unlike paper, is not currently recycled in most places. Then Oregon, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont passed laws against them. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. I know youve done some comparisons on different strategies and looked at this more holistically. Despite the good intentions of these new rules, plastic bag bans are problematic for a few reasons. Eastern Hemlocks Are Declining. Have a listen. 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? In the case of using a tax, the government is also then able to raise some money, which can be used to either lower taxes elsewhere or go toward environmental cleanup efforts or most importantly, turning Niagara Falls into a waterslide. Heres Dr. Taylor discussing some of her research on that front. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. Right now! Known as one of the greenest commercial buildings in the world, since it opened its doors on Earth Day in 2013 the Bullitt Center has been setting a new standard for sustainable design. ETHAN: Beyond climate though, crackers cause a lot of issues for surrounding communities. Climate change, they say, isnt the only form of environmental degradation to worry about. All donations doubled for a limited time. In accordance with the budge bill passed last year, New York State retailers will be banned from doling out single-use plastic bags, starting on March 1. 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. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. Its not easy being a green consumer, in part because there are these different dimensions of environmental impact. So some of my recent research was looking at to what extent do we actually see border shopping occur? Okay, maybe Im going overboard, but honestly, if it were a small ordeal to get a single-use bag, I could see the inconvenience of that motivating people to bring their reusable bags to the store a whole lot more than a five or ten cent tax. Like, get a life, man. Or, another idea, what if plastic could be made directly from carbon dioxide that we suck from the atmosphere? People still need bags to bring home their groceries. 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. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Plastic bags not only destroy the physical infrastructure, she says, referring to the way they clog up storm drains and other systems, they contribute to emissions. And she points out that marine plastic pollution is a threat to low-income people who fish for their dinner: So many frontline communities depend on food coming from the ocean. Thats why her group supported New York Citys bag fee even though its more of a burden on lower-income citizens. Hopefully its not laced with xylene! Thats right, go get that bag. TAYLOR: Yes. I mean, look at all the kids roaming the streets looking for water after eating a single Saltine. As the Australian study noted, a cotton bag has major environmental impacts of its own. Back to those three Rs we learned when we were in elementary school, the reduce the Reuse and Recycle. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. Plastic bags are made from non-renewable sources and on this account, highly contribute to climate change. People still need bags to bring home their groceries. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. 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. [bell ring] Like blueberries or trips to the bathroom, not all plastics are created equal, and single-use plastic bags are typically made from a material called high-density polyethylene. Spoiler alert: plastics parents got divorced at age eleven and it still isnt over it. Im your host, Ethan Brown. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. Microsoft quietly supported legislation to make it easier to fix devices. Heres why thats a big deal. You can order the T-shirt plastic bags in wholesale from Bags . Its like trying to send paper through a really old copier. Then, that ethylene can be sent to a new plant where theyll add a catalyst which initiates a chemical reaction and forms our high-density polyethylene. 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. Whether its paper, whether its plastic, can we reuse it, you know, extend its life? According to the Ocean Conservancys 2020 Coastal Cleanup Report, plastic grocery bags ranked number 6 for trash in the ocean. And so many of these supermarkets have actually rolled back their policies. I mean, throw some Dijon on there and youve got lunch! First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker? ITS PAPER. And then if when those you know are no longer possible, can we recycle them? The New York State Plastic Bag Task Force, convened by Governor Andrew Cuomo in March 2017, found that a hybrid ban on plastic bags along with a fee on alternatives is more effective than a simple ban. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? And sort of the bottom line, what I found with in terms of like the amount of plastic, was about a third of the plastic that was eliminated by the carry out bag ban came back in the form of garbage bags, which do tend to be a bit thicker than the carry out bags. Like blueberries or trips to the bathroom, not all plastics are created equal, and single-use plastic bags are typically made from a material called high-density polyethylene. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for their bags, or maybe even stop keeping bags at the register at all. Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, Calif., a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. Its taken long enough. Listen Up America: You Need to Learn How to Recycle. Some people still keep streaks, I think! 12:48 PM PDT March 16, 2023. Again, because this is what I tell people all the time. What I found was a net benefit, we were still reducing more plastic than this rebound effect. 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. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. 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. [wild west sting] 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. ETHAN: Beyond climate though, crackers cause a lot of issues for surrounding communities. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. Thats a border shopping behavior. What a deal! The past and future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. I guess the name does make sense. Paper does have its own environmental consequences in terms of how much energy it takes to generate, acknowledges Emily Norton, director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. And thats definitely a behavioral effect that we find. A lovely tote made from single use plastic bags. Washington, D.C.s government estimates that its 5-cent bag tax has led to a 60 percent reduction in the number of these bags being used, although that figure is contested by other sources. And you even have some states, at least 17 in the US who have actually banned bag bans, banned regulating bags in general. READ MORE. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? Thats the percentage the Massachusetts Sierra Club has advocated for at the state level and when lobbying for municipal bag rules. Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. In fact, eight states have gone so far as to ban single-use plastic bags, and over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or. Waste in particular, plastic packaging, how it is used, how it gets discarded. Both authors of these essays specifically speak about how the use of plastic can be harmful for the mother-nature, and have introduced ways to compensate this loss. [string music, inspired by What We Do In The Shadows]. No, of course not. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. India followed the UK with a . 12 Reasons for Banning Plastic Bags: Plastic Bags Are Made With Non-Renewable Energy Plastic Bags Use Up Lots Of Energy Plastic Bags End Up In The Ocean Beach Plastic Litter Is On The Rise Plastic Bags Kill Millions Of Animals Every Year Plastic Takes A Long Time To Disintegrate Plastic Is Harming The Ocean's Coral Plastic Bags Contain Toxins ETHAN: Obviously, bags are the only policy option like we talked about theres fees theres more voluntary approaches You know, with straws, something that intrigued me was default choice modification. Or is it a little too nuanced to make that type of assessment? Wait, sorry, wrong kind of cracker. NADJA: Where did you get your hands on a peer-reviewed study? ETHAN: Specifically, well be talking about grocery bags. They are a lot easier to carry than many other shopping bags out there. 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. Anything thats not zero gets, you know a pretty big impact. Plastic is a toxin that stays in the environment, marine animals ingest it, and it enters their bodies and then ours.. 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. Electrify everything, California says including trucks and trains. Definitely not the intention. This material which is widely used worldwide has been an issue for years now and these readings gives some explanation on why. And so because of that bands have been more popular. Capacitors. For example, because paper bags take up so much more space, more trucks are needed to ship paper bags to a store than to ship plastic bags. Have a listen. If they were going to use a slur for white people, why not name it Karen or Wonderbread? 'Banning plastic bags is great for the world, Right? On the disposal side, single-use plastic bags are currently not recyclable, but thats because the bags are so flimsy they can get caught in the machinery. 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. Seeing how nuanced this issue is, I asked Dr. Taylor what the next steps could look like. Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. All rights reserved. Anyway, at a cracker plant, they use extreme heat to crack the molecular bonds in the oil or gas to produce a new gas called ethylene. Not so fast. Its like excuses for not doing your homework. And I think part of what intrigues me is a sort of principle of like free market economics is that people are rational actors. Not So Fast. Not So Fast by Ben Adler The author of the piece Ben Adler agrees that plastic bags have an adverse impact on the environment. A Canadian Gas Field Is Polluting First Nation Communities, How Climate Change, Poverty, and Social Stigma Affect Menstrual Hygiene. 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. If they were going to use a slur for white people, why not name it Karen or Wonderbread? The first time you say your dog ate it, its a funny story, but by the fifth time, youre definitely going to fail first grade. And to be fair, it is an issue. Plastic, on the other hand, lasts for a long time. I hope at least one of those cracked you up. Do local governments get to say how these products are regulated? Thank you all for listening, and Ill see you next week. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise. In a queer vacation hot spot on Cape Cod, an ad hoc community proved that Americans can stifle large outbreaksif they want to. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. Another entirely different approach could be making plastic bags more sustainable. Every so often, our star fires off a plasma bomb in a random direction. Facebook, Follow us on TAYLOR: So an interesting thing with local policies, and theres a lot of debate about whether policies like these should be implemented at the state level or at the local level.

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