A lot of the waste ends up in our communities, says Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, an environmental and social justice-oriented community organization in Brooklyn. 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. As such, many people suggest accompanying measures to distribute free reusable bags, and the tax could even be used to raise the money to make that happen. You can try, but nine times out of ten, its going to rip your original in half. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, California, a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. [wind blowing, floors creaking, various night time sounds]. Thats the percentage the Massachusetts Sierra Club has advocated for at the state level and when lobbying for municipal bag rules. Were trying to get these deep dives a little bit shorter so you can listen to the whole thing during your commute or workout or walking your grandpa or what have you, and also make it a little bit more manageable for our team. A single mom, or someone working two jobs, is more likely to have to do her shopping in a rush on the way home from work than to go out specifically with a tote bag in hand. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. 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. Every so often, our star fires off a plasma bomb in a random direction. If we do that, well see less polluted oceans, improved public health, and maybe, for the first time in history, Polly wont want a cracker. Australia has had a plastic bag ban since 2018. In fact, they may even feel too awkward to ask for one. [knock on door, door creaks open, then Laszlo starts coughing uncontrollably]. Because with any product, its important to think about all those three dimensions, can we as consumers reduce the amount that were using? 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. Then, that ethylene can be sent to a new plant where theyll add a catalyst which initiates a chemical reaction and forms our high-density polyethylene. The Permian Basin Hosts the Highest Emitting Oil and Gas Project in North America. NADJA: After much deliberation, Nandor and I have invited a new resident into the house. And so I was interested in understanding to what degree does a patchwork of policies actually lead customers to switch where theyre shopping. 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. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but its the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. (Cindy) Works Cited. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and California's bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent . ETHAN: Clips today came from 23 ABC News. What a deal! It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. [wrong buzzer, rewind] Cracker? Some people still keep streaks, I think! 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. YouTube. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. You can conceive of the possibility of collecting plastic bags from the ocean, but microplastics are almost impossible to remove from their environments. In fact, eight states have gone so far as to ban single-use plastic bags, and over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or banning them. It may not be big enough. There are also some challenges regarding the design of such a policy, as Dr. Taylor explains. In accordance with the budge bill passed last year, New York State retailers will be banned from doling out single-use plastic bags, starting on March 1. And so whats really interesting is just adding a small price to each, each bag, you know, five cents, we see really large behavioral changes just with that small price. [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. Theyre less than five millimeters across and they are everywhere, from the oceans to mountaintops to the Arctic to our food and blood. Dr. Taylor, could you tell us a bit about your background and research interests? And honestly, a little sketchy that ethylene cant handle sunlight. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group. And in particular, stores start offering thicker plastic bags and sticker paper bags for free. They increase their sales by almost 120%. And an estimated 10 million tons of plastic are discarded in the ocean yearly. And so when we think about these policies, were balancing these different environmental objectives. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. Paper does have its own environmental consequences in terms of how much energy it takes to generate, acknowledges Emily Norton, director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. 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. Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. Because we do see such a strong response of having to pay for your bag, when you have to pay for your bag, it makes it an active decision, instead of just default, getting a whole bunch of bags that you dont really think about, we find that bag taxes are actually as effective as bag bans, and getting people to change their behavior, potentially without some of the unintended consequences of completely eliminating an option making people switch to other bags, which might actually be more harmful for the environment. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? The remaining 21 percent, of course, came from the Kardashians. ITS COMPOSTABLE! Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. "Banning Plastic Bags Is Great For The World, Right? Advocates for plastic bag bans often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. ETHAN: I think this paper that you did goes to a larger conversation about plastic because we do often zero in on specific products, will complain about straws or about bags or about bottles. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. ETHAN: When something causes as many issues as plastic bags, it may seem tempting to ban it. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but its the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. The Bad Astronomer Takes You on a Tour of the Cosmos. Definitely not the intention. Thats the intended goal of the policy. Instagram, Follow us on New clinical trials could more effectively reach solutions. Course Hero, a tutoring business last valued by investors at $3.6 billion, has cut 15% of staff, or 42 people its first round of layoffs . High costs for cleanup 8. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. Proposition 67, also known as SB270, officially passed in November 2016, prohibits plastic bags . And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. 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. I mean, I know it loves to hang at the cracker plants and all but wouldnt it have more fun hanging out with other creatures of the night? In May 2016, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the US, particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. How do we make polyethylene? Its taken long enough. debut in season five. 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. Electrify everything, California says including trucks and trains. So if its not effective, and its expensive, its not a recommended policy tool. ITS COMPOSTABLE! Now theres a breakthrough. As the Australian study noted, a cotton bag has major environmental impacts of its own. Any time someone needs bags, make a trip to the back to get them and have them wait. The Secrets of Covid Brain Fog Are Starting to Lift. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. In that case, it was the simple act of instead of automatically giving customers a straw with their drink, bringing the drink without a straw. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Scientists believe lasting symptoms following a coronavirus infection is not a single disorder. LASZLO: Oh, alright, if itll shut you up. In fact, we can take it a step further. 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? Obviously, a cotton tote does have a much longer life than a plastic or paper bag, but we also have to be honest with ourselves. What she finds is actually leave the bag bonuses really dont have an effect. What if they used solar or wind? Thats right, nothing like getting high on your own supply. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? 1. Different studies say different things, but the point is clear: even though paper bags are much better for the environment in the disposal stage, the rest of the supply chain is riddled with problems. Choking the oceans with Plastics. This is often called border shopping. In fact, the only place they havent been is Dave and Busters. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. 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. 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. I happen to have a peer-reviewed study that suggests otherwise. Its not easy being a green consumer, in part because there are these different dimensions of environmental impact. Eat one less meat dish a week thats what will have a real impact on the environment, says Tyler. All donations doubled for a limited time. Its like when your boss bans YouTube at work, so everyone jumps to Discord. ETHAN: And that wraps up episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin. There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. ETHAN: After we drill and frack and insert other PG13 sounding term here, we have to actually turn our fossil fuels into polyethylene. Throwing This Out Here: Plastic Bags Are Amazing and You Should Appreciate Them More, Trash Is Ugly, But Recycling Is Downright Beautiful. 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: 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. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. The Search for Long Covid Treatments Takes a Promising Turn. Never mind, that was underwhelming. TAYLOR: Its a great question, I would say its a bit nuanced, because that was just respect with respect to the plastic bags. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. How do you tackle microplastics? Its like trying to send paper through a really old copier. Unlike reusable fabric bags, plastic bags can take lifetimes to biodegrade.Over that time, their light weight allows them to be carried long distances, causing environmental havoc along the way. You would think five cents to reuse a bag would have a state similar behavioral response is five cents to not use a bag to have to pay for than plastic bag. Now, a new law hopes to take things a step further by banning these: single-use plastic pre-checkout bags that are not recyclable and can contaminate compost facilities. These residents are trying to keep them out. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? How Do We Protect Avocados From Drought, Deforestation, and Drug Cartels? Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. Special thanks to our Emperor Penguin patrons Lawrence Harris and Brownies Central. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. And if not, then maybe totes arent the best alternative. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. 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. On the disposal side, single-use plastic bags are currently not recyclable, but thats because the bags are so flimsy they can get caught in the machinery. When we got rid of the carry out bags, people had to start purchasing garbage bags. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. So were still figuring it out right now, but weve got a great episode for you today. ETHAN: So just to wrap up this point, would you say that its a net positive or negative? AD READER: This episode of The Sweaty Penguin is brought to you by Christmas. I hope at least one of those cracked you up. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the U.S., particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. There are many factors to consider when looking at the environmental impact of plastic bags, and also paper bags may not be as environmentally friendly as people think. Still, many environmentalists argue that plastic is worse than paper. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. What I found was a net benefit, we were still reducing more plastic than this rebound effect. I collected data from supermarkets, on the types of bags people were using at checkout, both before and after the policy went into effect. The larger takeaway is that no bag is free of environmental impact, whether thats contributing to climate change, ocean pollution, water scarcity, or pesticide use. Despite the good intentions of these new rules, plastic bag bans are problematic for a few reasons. 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. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Have a listen. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. And all of these materials do better? Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. The U.S. is the number two producer of polyethylene in the world behind China, and in the U.S., 80 percent of our primary petrochemical supply is in Texas and Louisiana. With a referendum in November 2016, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures, which keeps an active list of American laws. 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. And so this was an unintended consequence of the policy. On the other hand, were using thicker bags, which might be emitting more carbon and pollution into the atmosphere. 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. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for their bags, or maybe even stop keeping bags at the register at all. 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. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker?. And so in terms of ranking those, that would be my order, taxes, hybrid bands, and then least preferred standalone bands. And I think part of what intrigues me is a sort of principle of like free market economics is that people are rational actors. Cracker plants release air pollutants such as benzene which is linked to cancer and childhood leukemia, toluene which is linked to birth defects and brain, liver, and kidney problems, formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen, and particulate matter which is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and lung and bladder cancer. We talked about a whole list of issues in our first segment, and those dont vanish. 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. But not just anywhere. A New Computer Proof Blows Up Centuries-Old Fluid Equations. Thicker, reusable bags are still available for purchase for 10 cents. And I think thats the topic I dont know enough about. Youre being ridiculous. 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. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. Some social justice activists who work in low-income urban neighborhoods or communities of color also argue that plastic bags are a particular scourge. Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. You can order the T-shirt plastic bags in wholesale from Bags . That signals to customers that these arent reusable products. Plastic bags could also be more sustainable from the production side. 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. There are eight states that ban single-use plastic bags, and these are Oregon, Vermont, California, Hawaii, Delaware, New York, Maine, and Connecticut. Plastic bags are not biodegradable and can do great harms to wildlife. Our best hope the next time Earth is in the crosshairs? But University of Sydneys Dr. Rebecca Taylor says not so fast. ETHAN: After we drill and frack and insert other PG13 sounding term here, we have to actually turn our fossil fuels into polyethylene. 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. The shift from one single-use bag to another single-use bag may improve one environmental outcome, but be offset by another environmental impact.. And so this is a really tense issue around. Its been more than five years since single-use plastic bags like these were banned from grocery stores, a ban advocates say made strides for the environment. Climate change, they say, isnt the only form of environmental degradation to worry about. The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running. Whereas the small taxes are very effective. Multi-use plastic bags are catching on slower than their cloth counterparts. In fact, every region of the US has a different energy mix. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. We use. In fact, it may not even be the most effective option. California and Hawaii banned them, then New York. ETHAN: Obviously, this is a ridiculously nuanced issue, and while it might not be the most pressing concern of our generation, its absolutely worth discussing, especially given how popular the topic has been. 2- From a retailer's perspective, the thin plastic bags are the most economical of all.
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