Home » Healthy Living » Green Living

Plethora of Plastic

Ranked #22,555 in Healthy Living, #318,235 overall

The Impact of Plastic

Plastic bags have only been around for the past twenty-five years, but in such a short amount of time they have made an enormous impact on the environment. We as a society have come to depend on them for so many things. We use them to hold our garbage, to hold groceries, and to hold purchases made in stores. We have become so dependent on plastic bags that an estimated one million bags are consumed every minute and an estimated 500 billion each year! Each year, despite the fact that they are recyclable, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags. (Only 0.6 percent of plastic bags are recycled.) These bags will take over one thousand years to bio degrade. So where are all of these bags ending up?

*Some images of animals in distress on this page can be upsetting

Table of Contents

  1. Choking the Earth One Bag at a Time
  2. Plastic Kills
  3. Plastic Ocean
  4. Map of Ocean Currents
  5. Locations of Gyres
  6. Effects on Marine Life
  7. Plastic Bags: National Flower of African Nations
  8. Photo Gallery
  9. Show Your Support - Donate to a Good Cause
  10. B.Y.O.B.
  11. The Life of a Bag
  12. Taking Action
  13. Reusable Shopping Bag
  14. Reusable Shopping Bag
  15. Reusable Shopping Bag
  16. Reusable Bags
  17. Other Lenses by Jmel37
  18. Tell Me What You Think...
  19. Donate to a Great Cause!!

Choking the Earth One Bag at a Time

Production, use, and disposal of plastic bags have so many negative effects on our environment. The production of such plastic polyethylene bags requires the use of petroleum products; further exacerbating the depletion of our natural resources and adding to the amount of pollution released into the air. As these bags bio degrade, they release poisonous chemicals and toxins that are leeched into the ground or water, thus making their way into the food chain. These bags lead to the spread of disease, the death of many creatures, and more.

Plastic Kills

Loading

Plastic Ocean

Many of the plastic bags (and plastic in general) will end up in the oceans. This alone brings another set of negative effects. Every year 100,000 marine mammals die because they mistakenly thought a bag was food, and an estimated 1 billion sea birds and mammals die as a result of ingesting plastic bags. It is because of human activities that so many of these animals suffer a long, painful death as these bags slowly strangle their intestines and cause them to choke. Dutch scientists recently did a study on pollution in the North Sea and found every fulmar, (a type of seagull) had on average 30 pieces of plastic in their stomach.

All of this plastic ending up in the oceans has an effect on humans as well. Toxins are released from the plastic as it begins to bio degrade. These toxins become absorbed by plant matter, which is then eaten by jellyfish, which are eaten by bigger fish, and so on, until eaten by humans. Through this chain, people are unknowingly ingesting toxic chemicals.

According to recent reports by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) there are approximately 50,000 pieces of floating plastic in every square mile of ocean. In the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a 20 million square kilometer area located about 1,000 miles off the U.S. coast in the northern pacific ocean, there is an area often referred to as "the great pacific garbage patch." In this area concentrations of trash are thought to be much denser; in fact there are 334,271 pieces of plastic per square kilometer. It is difficult to determine the origin of the garbage; some estimates say 20% of the waste comes from ships while the rest from land. Garbage originating from the United States takes approximately six years to reach the Gyre and takes a year or less to make it there from Asia.

Map of Ocean Currents

Currents that create the gyres

Locations of Gyres

Concentrations of plastic in the oceans worldwide

Effects on Marine Life

A seal that has been caught in a net - as you can see, the rope is cutting into its neck

A seal that has been caught in a net - as you can see, the rope is cutting into its neck

A seal that has been caught in a net - as you can see, the rope is cutting into its neck
A diver is trying to cut this seal free from the rope that is slowly strangling it
A disgusting visual of the amount of trash that is in our oceans
A fishing net lost in the ocean. This net could wind up around the neck of a sea bird, or marine animal
More garbage in the ocean
Floating in a sea of trash
The remains of a bird that died after ingesting many pieces of garbage
A turtle who's shell has been deformed as a result of plastic wrapped around its abdomen
Sea turtles often mistake floating plastic bags as jellyfish - aka food

Plastic Bags: National Flower of African Nations

Plastic bags have become the standard method of carrying products because they are cheap to produce, and because of their size, easy to ship. South Africa produced as much as seven billion bags a year, Kenya - 4,000 tonnes worth of plastic bags every month! These bags, however cheap, are made of thin plastic. So thin are the bags produced in African nations, that they are only .03 millimeters thick. Bags as thin as this make them one-time use only because of how easily they tear. Bags as thin as this are also easily blown away.

Plastic bags have earned themselves the name "the new national flower" of many nations in Africa. They are swept up in the wind and are strewn across the countryside. They are an eyesore, and are just as synonymous to Africa as are lions and the plains. The fact that these discarded bags are an eyesore is the least of the concerns. These bags get into the sewage and drainage systems, causing them to become clogged. The water becomes stagnant in the sewage systems because of the clog, and stagnant water is a breeding ground for disease. In fact, it is not only the stagnant water in the sewage systems, but bags cast aside that lay on the ground collecting water that cause problems as well. Stagnant standing water becomes a perfect setting for mosquitoes to breed - and mosquitoes spread malaria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are an estimated 500 million cases of malaria worldwide every year. Every year 1 million people die from this disease; one person every thirty seconds. 90% of these deaths are in Africa.

Photo Gallery

Show Your Support - Donate to a Good Cause

Since 1971, Earthjustice attorneys have taken on powerful special interests and won. We have played a leading role in protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and are committed to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. From our nine offices around the United States, we provide hundreds of client organizations with full legal representation, free of charge. Our clients range from small grassroots community groups-such as The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance-to large, national organizations, like the Natural Resources Defense Council and The Wilderness Society. In our role as the nonprofit law firm for the environment we've brought more successful lawsuits to stop pollution and promote environmental protection than anyone else in the country.

Your contribution at work:
When you give to Earthjustice, your donation enables us to continue our work to protect the environment in the United States and beyond. With your support, in the past years we've:

* Saved millions of wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest by fighting misguided dam management on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
* Protected imperiled populations of grizzly bears and bull trout from a mine development in Montana.
* Secured Endangered Species Act protection for an incredible family of orcas in Puget Sound.
* Helped preserve the magnificent Tongass National Forest by successfully challenging the seriously flawed Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan.


Have more questions about donating? See your money at work.

Environmental law defender Earthjustice, the top American ecological law firm, because the earth needs a good lawyer. Formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.

B.Y.O.B.

Loading

The Life of a Bag

Perilous From Start to Finish

Plastic bags are as ubiquitous in our society today as oxygen. They can be found anywhere and everywhere. Think about the life of a plastic bag; it starts with petroleum extraction - an ever diminishing resource. Once taken from the ground, it is shipped in a tanker to a factory where it will be turned into a bag. Even the life of this bag thus far has serious implications for Earth. Think about the dwindling supply of petroleum. Think about the costs and risks Involved in the transportation of this petroleum, what happens if there is an accident? A spill? All of this for a flimsy bag that most likely will be used only one short period of time.

Taking Action

As the global community becomes more eco aware, governments around the world are taking action trying to slow and eventually stop the impact of human activities on our environment. Many countries, cities, and/or regions have already started to place restrictions on the production and consumption of plastic bags; some have even completely banned them. As shown in the map above, such regulations are not limited to only "western" or industrialized, developed nations, but instead are evenly dispersed throughout the world, spanning six continents.

In Ireland, they have implemented a PlasTax - a 20 cent tax placed on each bag, charged to the consumer. Since its initiation in March 2002, Ireland has seen a 90% reduction in plastic bag consumption. In addition to such a decrease in resource use, this program has raised millions of dollars to be put towards the development of recycling programs within the nation. The success of this program in Ireland has proven that consumers are aware of the environmental implications and are willing to make a change. Similar legislation has been put into motion in other parts of the U.K.

China is another country to embrace the green movement. They have established a plastic bag ban. This move is significant as China is quoted as being a "prime environmental failure." Each year prior to this ban, China's dependence on plastic bags costs the world 37 Million barrels of oil.

DO SOMETHING DRASTIC - CUT THE PLASTIC



Here is a list of countries that have banned one-time-use plastic bags:

  • Argentina
    • Buenos Ares

  • Australia
    • Loddon Shire, Victoria
    • New South Wales

  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Canada
    • Manitoba
    • Nova Scotia
    • Quebec

  • China
  • Egypt
  • Eritrea
  • France
    • Corsica
    • Paris

  • India
    • Delhi
    • Chandigarh
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Maharashtra

  • Italy
  • Kenya
  • Macedonia
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Rwanda
  • Somalia
  • Somaliland
  • South Africa
  • South Australia
  • Spain
  • Taiwan
  • Tanzania
  • Uguanda
  • United Kingdom
    • Aylsham, England
    • Banchory, Scotland
    • Girton, England
    • Hay-On-Wye, Wales
    • Hebden Bridge, England
    • Henfield, England
    • Kew, England
    • Llandysilio, Wales
    • Modbury, England
    • Overton, England
    • Selkirk, Scotland
    • Tisbury, England

  • United States
    • Alaska
    • California
      • Fairfax
      • Malibu
      • Manhattan Beach
      • Oakland
      • Palo Alto
      • San Francisco

    • Connecticut
      • Westport

    • Hawaii
      • Maui County
      • Paia, Maui
      • Kauai County

    • New York
      • Suffolk County

    • North Carolina


Here is a list of countries that have restricted one-time-use plastic bags:


  • Belgium

  • Canada
    • Toronto

  • China

  • Denmark

  • Germany

  • Ireland

  • Israel

  • Italy

  • Netherlands

  • United States
    • Seattle, WA

    • Washington D.C.

    Reusable Shopping Bag

    Collapsible

    Loading

    Reusable Shopping Bag

    Fashionable

    Loading

    Reusable Shopping Bag

    Organic Cotton

    Loading

    Reusable Bags

    Recycled Plastic Bags

    Here are some great reusable shopping bags and/or purses made from reclaimed plastic shopping bags that you can find on Etsy.com

    | Price: $0

    (full description)

    | Price: $0

    (full description)

    | Price: $0

    (full description)

    Go Green Plarn Tote Bag | Price: $0

    This unique tote is made from recycled plastic shopping bags! It is a one of a kind tote that is sure to turn heads. Join the fight to save the earth... (full description)

    Other Lenses by Jmel37

    Loading

    Tell Me What You Think...

    submit
    Show All

    Donate to a Great Cause!!

    The mission of Wildlife Forever is to conserve America's wildlife heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitat and management of fish and wildlife.

    Since 1987, Wildlife Forever has provided funding to more than 600 projects in 50 states plus Canada through private special interest conservation groups, state game and fish departments and federal agencies. Wildlife Forever projects target research, management, land acquisition, and educational purposes. Special emphasis is placed upon grassroots programs. (Discover some of the projects done in your state). Species that have received direct benefit from past grants include: American bald eagle, billfish, black bear, blacktail deer, bluebirds, bluegill, Canada geese, catfish, coyote, crappie, ducks, elk, gray whale, great gray owl, grizzly bear, herons, kestrels, largemouth bass, Massasaqua rattle snake, moose, mule deer, muskie, otter, peregrine falcon, pheasant, prairie chicken, quail, ruffed grouse, salmon, sea bass, sonoran pronghorn, songbirds, striped bass, trout, trumpeter swan, walleye, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and the list goes on and on.

    Wildlife Forever is America's foremost multi-species conservation organization with conservation projects in every state.

    by

    Jmel37

    I am a 25 year old college graduate. I spent one year abroad living in Germany where along with learning the language, I learned about the importance... more »

    Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

    Explore related pages

    Related Tags