Austin lifting the ban
on single-use plastic bags is really unfortunate. It is estimated that this ban
reduced the use of almost 200 thousand plastic bans annually, just in Austin.
Now, they have lifted this ban and the future seems a little grim to me.
A common problem with using plastic
bags is the littering often associated with them. All too often they end up in
water streams and wrapped around plants and can even be a major harm to animals.
Plastic bags can also be expensive as the amount of cleanup that is needing to
be done in local areas can get pricey and should be an unnecessary expense if
we pay attention to what we are doing.
Many animals, specifically water-dwellers,
can easily get wrapped up in plastic bags that will either leave them
defenseless or could suffocate them. Consuming plastic bags is pretty fatal for
animals as well. It could become tangled up in their bodies or there could be
some harsh chemicals that are poisonous to the animal.
As I have researched, I also learned
that plastic bags are made from petroleum and natural gas, which are nonrenewable
resources. A nonrenewable resource means there is a limited supply of that
resource and once we are out of it, it is gone. WHY ARE WE WASTING THESE
PRECIOUS RESOURCES ON SOMETHING SO POINTLESS? (I accidentally hit my caps lock
button but it seemed like appropriate timing).
Apparently, these plastic bags are
recyclable, but it isn’t something commonly pushed for as they are very
difficult to recycle. Some grocery stores collect used bags for recycling, but
it isn’t encouraged and the general public does not really know about this
option.
The simple solution in my mind is to
re-ban plastic bags and everyone be responsible for bringing their own reusable
bags. If you forget yours and have to carry everything, you won’t forget next
time.
Although it is very unfortunate that the plastic ban has been lifted, we are very lucky it has happened in the first place. With the plastic ban going on the past year, many people in the community are now used to bringing in their own reusable bags to go shopping.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with wanting to re-ban plastic bags, however its not quite as simple as one hope it is. As we learned in class, city ordinances are subordinate to state law. The Texas Health and Safety Code says that local governments in Texas may not “prohibit or restrict, for solid waste management purposes, the sale or use of a container or package in a manner not authorized by state law. This brings in question how specific the law is, however the court did rule the ban as illegal.
Texas should go forward will perhaps amending this law to allow ordinances such as the plastic ban. We were headed in the right direction, and although this may be a step back, this ruling brings to light a new issue.
The lift on the ban of single-use plastic bags is unfortunate setback in our state’s goal to become fully sustainable. It is sad that we went back on a plan that reduced the use of almost 200 thousand plastic bags annually. I agree with you that the ban helped reduce the littering of many unnecessary plastic bags. The City of Austin helped to clean up the surrounding environment by implementing this plan. It helped remove bags from many streams and general litter around the city. The move we made was in the right direction to make the city overall cleaner. The ban also convinced many people to switch over to reusable bags which are better for the environment. So even after the ban has been lifted, many people have continued to use reusable bags like they did during the ban. I agree that is pointless to keep spending money on plastic bags which are made of non renewable resources like petroleum and natural gas. Also like you said, many plastic bags are recyclable, but most do not end up being recycled due to one reason or another. The cities ban on plastic bags was a great step forward, and even though it was repealed, citizens can keep working on making its impacts last for a long time to come.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed really sad to see the lift on the ban of the single use plastic bag go. I do however think people are more aware with the circumstances that come with using these plastic bags. When this ban was first admitted it created self awareness for people to now carry reusable bags to not harm our environment, the place that we should cradle with love because it is our only home. More people shop now with reusable bags not only when it comes down to getting groceries but also just normal retail shopping. If we continue this self awareness it will help reduce waste and continue to protect our environment even without the ban.
ReplyDelete