PLASTIC BAGS

Plastic bags - Problems & Solutions

Plastic bags - Problems & Solutions

The debate on the harmful affects of plastic bags and whether or not the manufacturing usage of plastic bags should be avoided has been going on for long time now. This paper will attempt highlight the main problems about the usage of plastic bags while presenting solutions to reduce these problems.

Plastics bags can become a serious problem when they are inadequately treated after usage. It is essential to note at this point that plastic bags cannot be trashed like other garbage. It requires special treatment. When plastic bags are littered, the plastic bags can become stuck in pipes and vents, clogging them and making them a threat (Grover et al., 2000). Since plastic bags never fully decompose, they can be expected to get stuck in pipes and vents for long periods of time. They cause big loss of resources in the process.

In addition, it is important to note that plastic bags require extensive care during the manufacturing process. Unless plastic bags are manufactured while giving consideration to the chemicals that are used in the plastic bags, the chemicals tend to disperse into the open environment once the plastic bags are subjected to heat or humidity (Seal, 1994). These chemicals can be harmful for the environment. While a few plastic bags may not appear to be a big threat, it should be understood that plastic bags are being brought into use around the world; therefore the risk of the dispersion of harmful chemicals remains high.

Plastic bags are extremely flexible and can easily flow away into drains and sewers (livestrong.com, 2010). In other cases, the usage of plastic bags in coastal regions increases the chances that the used plastic bags will eventually end up in the sea. This creates a big threat for marine life (Stevens, 2002). Not only does this process result in the dispersion of harmful chemicals into the sea, but also kills marine life.

Plastic bags, which are made from natural gas or oil, consume an energy equivalent of thousands of barrels of oil a day just to meet California's consumption. Numerous recent international, national, state and local reports have called for the banning or drastic reduction of plastic bags due to their environmental damage (Morissey & Phillips, 2007). Plastic bags are a true menace to our ecosystems and our waste diversion goals. Barely recyclable, almost all of the ...