News Article:
On October 24th, the European Parliament voted 571-53 to ban single-use plastics. This includes items like straws, plastic cutlery, and bags and to-go boxes made of expanded polystyrene. The law also seeks to reduce the amount of plastic in items that do not have a non-plastic alternative. For example, food containers, beverage bottles, and cigarettes. The EU hopes the ban will go into effect in 2021.
I have been reading about plastics a lot lately. I am someone who has started to bring my own cups, cutlery, and containers to events in order to not use the single-use plastics. I bring my own cup to Starbucks and my own to-go box to the Lair in order to reduce waste.
Plastics are derived from oil and never fully degrade. Every piece of plastic ever created is still on the earth in some form, typically micro plastics which are then ingested by fish, which in turn we eat. Think of the items you buy from the grocery store: individually wrapped granola bars, carton of milk––it's not all paper, but lined with plastic––easy dinners, salad bags, the stickers on fruits and vegetables. Plastic is everywhere and it is not only harmful to the environment, but human health too. All plastic leaches into your food and though BPA has been banned, the chemicals it was replaced are necessarily any safer. This plastic-leaching can cause a lot of health problems, but particularly serves as an endocrine disruptor.
If you're interested in learning how to reduce the amount of plastic in your life, I recommend Plastic Free by Beth Terry.
Questions:
Do you know of any other similar plastic bans in the US? Are they state-wide or primarily local?
What can you do/what do you do to reduce your reliance on plastic?
Single-use plastics ban approved by European Parliament
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| Shutterstock |
On October 24th, the European Parliament voted 571-53 to ban single-use plastics. This includes items like straws, plastic cutlery, and bags and to-go boxes made of expanded polystyrene. The law also seeks to reduce the amount of plastic in items that do not have a non-plastic alternative. For example, food containers, beverage bottles, and cigarettes. The EU hopes the ban will go into effect in 2021.
I have been reading about plastics a lot lately. I am someone who has started to bring my own cups, cutlery, and containers to events in order to not use the single-use plastics. I bring my own cup to Starbucks and my own to-go box to the Lair in order to reduce waste.
Plastics are derived from oil and never fully degrade. Every piece of plastic ever created is still on the earth in some form, typically micro plastics which are then ingested by fish, which in turn we eat. Think of the items you buy from the grocery store: individually wrapped granola bars, carton of milk––it's not all paper, but lined with plastic––easy dinners, salad bags, the stickers on fruits and vegetables. Plastic is everywhere and it is not only harmful to the environment, but human health too. All plastic leaches into your food and though BPA has been banned, the chemicals it was replaced are necessarily any safer. This plastic-leaching can cause a lot of health problems, but particularly serves as an endocrine disruptor.
If you're interested in learning how to reduce the amount of plastic in your life, I recommend Plastic Free by Beth Terry.
Questions:
Do you know of any other similar plastic bans in the US? Are they state-wide or primarily local?
What can you do/what do you do to reduce your reliance on plastic?
The article you chose was very interesting and parallels the article Mary Frances chose. The chart that shows how long it will take for certain plastics to be fully biodegraded is interesting. It drives home the point that throwing plastics into the environment can have an extremely negative effect on the environment as well as marine life. The statistic that more plastic will be in the ocean than fish is concerning and shows how important it was to pass the bill in Europe. In regard to the U.S. policies, Mary Frances’s article showed that plastic straws were banned in several places, like Malibu and Miami Beach. These changes are primarily local and therefore may not have such a drastic effect as the bill in Europe, but it is still a step towards being more environmentally friendly. To help the environment, I can increase the amount of reusable utensils I use as opposed to plastic ones. Also, I can tell others about the effects of plastic on the environment to help make more aware of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI actually do not know a whole lot about any bans that exist in the US, but after reading Margaret's comment about Mary Frances' post, I will go check that out to educate myself on this stuff. I find the graphs in this article to be particularly alarming, and I think it'd be interesting and educational to compare that data to the US plastic use/demand. I have also been attempting to avoid straws at restaurants (old habits die hard) and I have reusable ones at home now so that I refrain from buying more straws. I am going to also start reducing my use of plastic bags from grocery stores, and instead bring my own reusable ones - God knows I have PLENTY of those little lululemon bags to hold all my groceries in each trip. Anyways, I think its progressive of Europe to place bans on these items that we are more than capable of living without, and I only hope other countries will follow suit.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you picked this article because I chose one similar, which in my opinion shows how important this issue is in our world and how we as individuals need to help correct or better this environmental problem. The article said “if no action was taken by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean,” which is quite alarming and I don’t want future generations to live in a world that is full of plastic. In the U.S., I don’t think policies banning plastic are nation wide. As Margaret stated, most changes are primarily local. Even though the impact might not be as great since it isn’t nation wide, but that is at least a start. To help the environment, I have stopped using straws at restaurants. I really like Maryella’s idea of using the little lululemon bags to hold groceries instead of the plastic bags, so I think I will start doing that.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very eye opening and it really made me stop and think about the plastic materials I use in my everyday life. I think that spreading this information could help many people be more conscious of what they purchase and the habits they form when it comes to the use of plastic materials. It is honestly astounding how long it can take the plastic items listed in the chart to biodegrade. I think that there is a widespread lack of awareness when it comes to this issue and this information must be made known, I also think that a ban such as the one voted on in Europe is a very useful tactic because it will make a drastic difference by making it a policy and preventing access to these harmful plastics. I definitely think bans like this should be implemented in the US and other parts of the world. It will be interesting to see the effects of the ban once it is put into practice. Personally, I want start being much more mindful of my own habits and start doing things such as using reusable bags as the others have mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI know California is trying to be environmentally progressive. Being the first state to do so, in 2016 they banned most stores from providing single use plastic bags, they're requiring all homes built after 2020 to have solar panels, and, starting in 2019, straws will be banned in Los Angeles. Of course, I think every state should follow California's footsteps, but I guess a positive perspective is that less plastic will be entering the Pacific Ocean as less plastic will be around California's shores. As Rachel Carson says that minimization is better than elimination, I've tried to minimize my use of plastics. I got a study reusable water bottle in 2016, which I used daily since (a Hydroflask, pricey but very worth it). I bring usable bags when shopping and also share them with whoever I'm with. I've also invested in reusable straws and have tried to minimize, if not reuse, my use of plastic utensils.
ReplyDelete