But what if reusable bags arent good either? Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. Waste in particular, plastic packaging, how it is used, how it gets discarded. 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. And when I no longer had access to those carry out bags, it meant I didnt have this quote unquote, free source of garbage bags anymore. 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. 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. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? YouTube. I happen to have a peer-reviewed study that suggests otherwise. Not So Fast" by Ben Adler and the essay "Choking The Oceans With Plastic" by Charles J. Moore they both pose a connection and an area of disagreement. Its taken long enough. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. Cracker? Put all that together, and National Geographic estimates that a paper bag would need to be used anywhere from 3 to 43 times in order to neutralize its environmental impact as compared to plastic. In addition to being my celebrity couple name with a girl named Polly, polyethylene is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? 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. Rough Draft 14 - Writing - The Effects Of Plastic In the essay 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. ETHAN: Its true. And so its the sort of carrots versus sticks story, the sticks of the taxes seem to be much more effective than the carrots of the bonuses. And so many of these supermarkets have actually rolled back their policies. TAYLOR: Its a great question, I would say its a bit nuanced, because that was just respect with respect to the plastic bags. The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running. In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. Im really proud of this one and I hope you enjoy it! 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. Thats the intended goal of the policy. But that understanding of each bags impact is not taken into account when we make a sweeping plastic bag ban. ETHAN: Hopefully ethylene makes its What We Do In The Shadows debut in season five. Nakuru, Kenya In the open-air Wakulima Market thin plastic shopping bags have disappeared, banished by Kenya's national bag ban. 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. Lets start with paper: the only kind of bag that is, in the most literal tense, tearible. Have a listen. Some social justice activists who work in low-income urban neighborhoods or communities of color also argue that plastic bags are a particular scourge. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. Do local governments get to say how these products are regulated? 'Banning plastic bags is great for the world, Right? Of those 48, 16 had publicly available air pollution data, so I took a look at that group. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. The past and future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast The remaining 21 percent, of course, came from the Kardashians. Yeet that wheat. Seeing how nuanced this issue is, I asked Dr. Taylor what the next steps could look like. 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. In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. Plastic Bags Are a Problem. California and Hawaii banned them, then New York. Or, another idea, what if plastic could be made directly from carbon dioxide that we suck from the atmosphere? Theyre less than five millimeters across and they are everywhere, from the oceans to mountaintops to the Arctic to our food and blood. NADJA: Its perfectly harmless, Laszlo. AD READER: This episode of The Sweaty Penguin is brought to you by Christmas. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast I took a look at a 2017 Congressional Report which found the petrochemical industry was, at the time, pursuing 48 new plastics-related projects in the Houston area. 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. Right now! 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. We use. Now, for various reasons, political reasons, taxes are often not favored by politicians, because people dont like the word tax. And thats just not true. Electrify everything, California says including trucks and trains. 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? Will we use our cotton tote hundreds or thousands of times? Follow us on 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. ITS COMPOSTABLE! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Not good places to be adding more polluting facilities. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? ETHAN: Does this mean bag bans are bad or bag alternatives are bad? [deep echoey filter] ITS INSATIABLE! Wait, sorry, wrong kind of cracker. Quick Navigation for Reasons Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned REASONS 1. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? How do we do that? Heres Why That Matters. TAYLOR: Yeah, I think one thing that stands out, when we think about plastic bags, and when we think about sort of packaging, in general, is that theres this perception that its free, that theres no price, and that you can you know, youre not paying for the plastic bags that you use, thats not actually true, you actually do pay for the plastic bags that you use at the supermarket. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For the World Right Questions 1-5.docx 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. 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. Ad Choices, Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? In fact, every region of the US has a different energy mix. Often, the problem shifts. 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. 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. Thats right, go get that bag. Not only are there these human health concerns, but crackers and other petrochemical facilities are not located very fairly. All of these policies give consumers a little more freedom, but try to nudge them in the right direction through small fees or rewards in the 5 to 15 cent per bag range. ETHAN: And the list of policy approaches goes on and on. Despite the good intentions of these new rules, plastic bag bans are problematic for a few reasons. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? Or is it a little too nuanced to make that type of assessment? You start growing weird pimples at 10, youre crying five times a week at 15, and by 20, someone has to carry you into a therapists office, throw you on the couch, and say its broken, fix it. For plastic though, 20 years is much less time than most other single-use plastic products. Then Oregon, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont passed laws against them. Polyethylene, however, is recyclable. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. I know it sounds silly, but it would make a difference. ITS PAPER. The Secrets of Covid Brain Fog Are Starting to Lift. AD READER: Is it 12:01am on November 1st? Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. But thats not to say plastic bag recycling couldnt be more widely implemented. 2. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. Wait, sorry, wrong kind of cracker. 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. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but its the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. And I think part of what intrigues me is a sort of principle of like free market economics is that people are rational actors. You can order the T-shirt plastic bags in wholesale from Bags . Cracker? Plastic bags should be banned as it pollutes the water and land. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. Why Banning Plastic Grocery Bags Could Be A Bad Move : NPR Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast - Pinterest Again, because this is what I tell people all the time. However, it cannot be argued that they are the only components that contribute to Earth's many environmental problems. Now, obviously, there are still benefits of reducing our consumption of plastic. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. Because with any product, its important to think about all those three dimensions, can we as consumers reduce the amount that were using? 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. ETHAN: And that wraps up episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin. So when you do lifecycle assessments of these two different types of material, paper bags end up being much worse on sort of their upstream, the manufacturing side, so its a bit concerning to also see the shift to paper. You get merch, bonus content, and more. These residents are trying to keep them out. Washington, DCs 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. Some are funded by plastic industry groups, like the ironically named American Progressive Bag Alliance. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker?. The adverse impacts of plastic bags are undeniable: When theyre not piling up in landfills, theyre blocking storm drains, littering streets, getting stuck in trees, and contaminating oceans, where fish, seabirds, and other marine animals eat them or get tangled up in them. Never mind, that was underwhelming. It argues that while banning plastic bags may be good for the environment, it is not as simple as it seems. So its a bit nuanced. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Not So Fast." I mean, throw some Dijon on there and youve got lunch! Dr. Taylor, could you tell us a bit about your background and research interests? 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. Twitter, Follow us on Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. But what I do know I find so fascinating. What she finds is actually leave the bag bonuses really dont have an effect. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. Again. And I also looked at not just shopping at a supermarket across the border but also eating out Instead of grocery shopping, and I do find that there is this, you know, substitution, this cross border shopping, some people do try to avoid going to, you know, regulated supermarkets, especially if they live near a border, where they can easily get to another another grocery store, while other customers if they dont live near a border, they might be slightly more likely to decide to eat out for dinner as opposed to grocery shopping, especially if they didnt bring their bags with them or that party. When the plastic bags were banned in California, paper bags were still allowed with the feet. Thats leading to a split in the anti-bag movement. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. ETHAN: Beyond climate though, crackers cause a lot of issues for surrounding communities. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. The Pros and Cons of Plastic Bag Bans | Dumpsters.com As longtime plastic bag adversary Ian Frazier recently reported in The New Yorker, In 2014, plastic grocery bags were the seventh most common item collected during the Ocean Conservancys International Coastal Cleanup, behind smaller debris such as cigarette butts, plastic straws, and bottle caps. The New York City Sanitation Department collects more than 1,700 tons of single-use carry-out bags every week, and has to spend $12.5 million a year to dispose of them. In a rational model. But not just anywhere. So some of my recent research was looking at to what extent do we actually see border shopping occur? In fact, 79 percent of microplastics sampled in the marine environment originated from polyethylene specifically. But not just anywhere. Thats right, its always the one you most suspect. Instagram, Follow us on In Staten Island, perhaps? Cities and states across the country are banning plastic bags, but those bans may be having unintended consequences. ITS INSATIABLE! So if its, if it makes it into the environment, it stays there, it breaks into smaller pieces, it gets blown around the world, many different ecosystems. 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. Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. If your chief concern is climate change, things get even muddier. But that tiny switch makes it so people dont feel different or left out if they dont have a straw. Wow, that was a tough one. What a deal! Thicker, reusable bags are still available for purchase for 10 cents. First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker? As compared to plastic bags, paper bags also require significantly more energy and water to manufacture, and more energy to transport since theyre heavier. 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. ETHAN: And youve written several papers on plastic bags, Ill start with your paper that won the Journal of Environmental Economics and Managements Best Paper Prize in 2020, which discussed some of the unintended consequences of plastic bag bans. [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. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Bags made out of woven plastic like polypropylene can be reused over and over, meaning even though there are consequences to producing plastic, you dont have to manufacture as many bags. Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. ETHAN: Clips today came from 23 ABC News. So I was really interested to see what the data would say about this were people having to buy more garbage bags now that the plastic bags that they got from grocery stores were no longer available. Design and build by Upstatement. 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. Then Christmas is for you. How do we do that? 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. Major funding forPeril and Promiseis provided byDr. P. Roy Vagelos and Diana T. Vageloswith additional funding from Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III,and the Estate of Worthington Mayo-Smith. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. Not only are there these human health concerns, but crackers and other petrochemical facilities are not located very fairly. Whether its paper, whether its plastic, can we reuse it, you know, extend its life? A lovely tote made from single use plastic bags. Hopefully its not laced with xylene! People still need bags to bring home their groceries. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. Others, like in New York City, treat all single-use bags equally. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. 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. Now, Im not sure how far along plant plastic or CO2 plastic are in the development process, but certainly very exciting possibilities if they could scale up. 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. 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. 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. ETHAN: After we drill and frack and insert other PG13 sounding term here, we have to actually turn our fossil fuels into polyethylene. And even if you use the word fee, sometimes people dont like that as well.