
Single-use plastic carrier bags. Jo Re / Pixabay.com / 2020 / CC0 1.0
The 3rd of July is International Plastic Bag Free Day.
The goal of the day is to bury single-use plastic bags “in the museum of bad design”. [1]Simon, Joan Marc. Single-use plastic bags: a sad story with a happy ending? Brussels, Belgium: Zero Waste Europe. 1 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2021/07/single-use-plastic-bags-a-sad-story-with-a-happy-ending/
While the environmental cost of initially making single-use plastic bags may be less than that of making paper bags, in the long run the cost of single-use plastic bags is far greater.
Producers of single-use plastic bags pocket the profits and run, while taxpayers bear all the costs of dealing with them for years and years afterward. We might think we are winning in the short run with miraculous quick convenience, but in the long run, not so much.
Plastic bags are used for only minutes, then are discarded and spend a long time in landfill before they decay completely — time range estimates for this decay period seem to range from 100 to 500 years. And as the bags decay, they break down into microplastics which gets into the food you eat. And there is growing suspicion amongst researchers that these microplastics act as endocrine disrupters in our bodies, supporting all kinds of modern maladies which are plaguing us.
Estimates of how many single-use plastic bags are used globally vary wildly, anywhere from 1 trillion [2]Earth Policy Institute (2014). http://www.earth-policy.org/press_
room/C68/plastic_bags_fact_sheet to 5 trillion. [3]The Worldwatch Institute estimates that 4-5 trillion plastic bags were produced in 2002, ranging from large trash bags to thick shopping totes to flimsy grocery sacks. Assuming that the number has remained stable since then, the value used is the upper estimate of 5 trillion. But even the lower number of 1 trillion works out to 2 million plastic bags discarded per minute. And these are figures from 2002 to 2004.
“Plastics in the environment pose significant hazards to wildlife both on land and in the ocean. High concentrations of plastic materials, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of hundreds of different species. Plastic bags in the ocean resemble jellyfish and are often ingested by turtles and dolphins who mistake them for food. There is emerging evidence that the toxic chemicals added during the manufacturing process transfer from the ingested plastic into the animals’ tissues, eventually entering the food chain for humans as well. When plastic breaks down into microplastic particles, it becomes even more difficult to detect and remove from the open oceans.” [4]UNEP (2018). SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: A Roadmap for Sustainability (Rev. ed., pp. vi; 6). Page 13.
Plastic bags stuck on water plants. SMR / pixahive / 2021 / CC0 1.0
Many people support doing away with single-use plastic bag bans, but haven’t yet figured out how to get by without plastic bags. But bans only work if there is strong enforcement of the bans.
Biodegradable single-use plastic bags are not really much of an answer, either:
“In an effort to reduce plastic pollution, many governments have outlawed conventional plastic bags, allowing only the use and production of “biodegradable” bags. Nonetheless, to limit leakage and damage to the environment, the presence of sound waste management systems are as relevant for the so-called bio-degradable options as for fossil fuel-based plastics. Often “biodegradable” plastic items (including single-use plastic bags and containers) break down completely only if exposed to prolonged high temperatures above 50°C (122°F). Such conditions are met in incineration plants, but very rarely in the environment. Therefore, even bioplastics derived from renewable sources (such as corn starch, cassava roots, or sugarcane) or from bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids (PHA) do not automatically degrade in the environment and especially not in the ocean.” [5]UNEP (2018). SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: A Roadmap for Sustainability (Rev. ed., pp. vi; 6). Page 14.
The Irish have coined the term “witch’s knickers” to refer to windblown discarded plastic bags caught in trees.
Plastic bag in tree. Kenneth Allen / geograph.ie / 2016 / CC BY-SA 2.0
#PlasticBagFreeDay #InternationalPlasticBagFreeDay #SayNoToPlastic #BreakFreeFromPlastic
Website: http://www.plasticbagfreeday.org/
See also: Bags
Activities for today
- Get your friends and family a re-usable cloth bag;
- and while you’re at it, treat yourself to a particularly nice, posh cloth bag;
- find a pattern to make your own cloth bag, if you are handy that way;
- contact your local politicians and let them know you want single-use plastic bag controls;
- make a resolution to start refusing plastic bags as much as possible;
- buy your own special re-usable, washable mesh produce bags;
- nag your friends and family members into starting to refuse plastic bags when offered them.
Further reading
Ban the bag (Surfrider Foundation)
Past International Plastic Bag Free Days
History
The day was first started in 2006 by Rezero, a Spanish environmental organisation, with a campaign called “Bossa Zero” (zero bag). It started small at first, just in in Catalonia, Spain:
“The international Plastic Bag-Free Day movement, which takes place every 3rd of July, was promoted by Rezero in 2006.” [6]Plastic Bag-Free Catalunya. Barcelona, Spain: Rezero. Accessed July 2021 at https://rezero.cat/en/campanyes/plastic-bag-free-catalunya/
International Plastic Bag Free Day Spanish
The campaign inspired Zero Waste Europe, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Brussels, Belgium of which Rezero is a member, to jump on board and expand the campaign in 2009:
“The first edition took place only in Catalonia but the campaign was so inspiring that in 2009 we decided to launch it at European level, with actions in several countries.” [7]Simon, Joan Marc. Single-use plastic bags: a sad story with a happy ending? Brussels, Belgium: Zero Waste Europe. 1 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2021/07/single-use-plastic-bags-a-sad-story-with-a-happy-ending/
Sources
International Plastic Bag Free Day 2021: History, Significance, Quotes, Messages and Images to Share Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: News 18. 3 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/international-plastic-bag-free-day-2021-history-significance-quotes-messages-and-images-to-share-3919652.html
International Plastic Bag Free Day. Wausau, Wisconsin: Northwest Technical College. 3 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.ntc.edu/calendar/2021/07/03/international-plastic-bag-free-day
Mehrotra, Isha. International Plastic Bag Free Day 2021: Know history and significance here. Noida, India. ZeeNews. 3 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://zeenews.india.com/science-environment/international-plastic-bag-free-day-2021-know-history-and-significance-here-2373661.html
Sabarwal, Harshit. International Plastic Bag Free Day today: Million bags used every minute. New Delhi, India: Hindustan Times. 3 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.hindustantimes.com/environment/international-plastic-bag-free-day-today-million-bags-used-every-minute-101625300869718.html
References
↑1 | Simon, Joan Marc. Single-use plastic bags: a sad story with a happy ending? Brussels, Belgium: Zero Waste Europe. 1 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2021/07/single-use-plastic-bags-a-sad-story-with-a-happy-ending/ |
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↑2 | Earth Policy Institute (2014). http://www.earth-policy.org/press_ room/C68/plastic_bags_fact_sheet |
↑3 | The Worldwatch Institute estimates that 4-5 trillion plastic bags were produced in 2002, ranging from large trash bags to thick shopping totes to flimsy grocery sacks. Assuming that the number has remained stable since then, the value used is the upper estimate of 5 trillion. |
↑4 | UNEP (2018). SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: A Roadmap for Sustainability (Rev. ed., pp. vi; 6). Page 13. |
↑5 | UNEP (2018). SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: A Roadmap for Sustainability (Rev. ed., pp. vi; 6). Page 14. |
↑6 | Plastic Bag-Free Catalunya. Barcelona, Spain: Rezero. Accessed July 2021 at https://rezero.cat/en/campanyes/plastic-bag-free-catalunya/ |
↑7 | Simon, Joan Marc. Single-use plastic bags: a sad story with a happy ending? Brussels, Belgium: Zero Waste Europe. 1 July 2021. Accessed July 2021 at https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2021/07/single-use-plastic-bags-a-sad-story-with-a-happy-ending/ |