Funny enough, I'm doing a project in school about this. I came here to find information about the topic. I think SINGLE USE plastic bags should be banned. Reusable plastic bags are used in numerous households, including mine. My family uses plastic bags as garbage bags. But the single-use plastic bags can be harmful. Plastic bags can contaminate oceans with their toxic chemicals, they can contaminate food sources, and they can take over 1,000 years to decompose. Most plastic items originate from fossil fuels. The production of plastics also have to do with dangerous chemical families such as phthalates, bisphenols, etc. There was a study conducted by UC Davis on fish at California fish markets. A quarter of the fish were found to have fibrous plastic inside. People have been eating plastic. This isn't a joke, and states need to take action to resolve it. Kudos to you New York. Hope your people are safe.
Plastic Bags should be banned because, plastic bags not only hurt marine life, but also humans and wildlife. We usually have plastic about the size of a credit card in us each week. And only 10% of the plastic bags we recycle get recycled.
All the plastic and pollution put into the world everyday whether it be by accident or on purpose is such an issue in today's generation. I think that if we decided to ban plastic bags everywhere it would largely and positively impact our environment. I also think it would motivate people to bring their own reusable bags because most people when doing a large grocery run don't want to carry each item one by one into the house, so they would either be required to bring their own reusable bag or they would have to purchase a bag that is environmentally friendly for a very low price as stated in the article for 5 cent. If this law was imposed the pollution rate would not go down completely because there are many other factors that play a part in the pollution rate. Such as car emissions and burning fossil fuels and mostly things that we humans are the causes of. So if we could get rid of one of the main factors of pollution it would help tremendously. The article also mentioned "don't we need time to prepare". When they say prepare I don't understand what they would need to prepare for because nobody is forcing you to get rid of all your plastic tupperware but you would have to bring or pay for an environmentally friendly bag. My family has already started to cut back on plastic. We make sure to recycle when possible and use reusable bags. So for the sake of the world in the future and the animals we should ban all plastic bags.
I think that this transition is definitely needed in our society and it can only be beneficial. In my family, we have always been trying to reduce plastic but I really started getting serious about it 6 months ago after watching many depressing documentaries. To be fair, in all types of plastic I stopped using, the easiest ones to get rid of were plastic bags. It literally only takes you to buy a reusable bag, that's it. I have been shocked by the amount of people who do not care about it and I came to the conclusion that nothing will change as long as it is legal. This law means so much to me because if New York can do it, anyone can do it (except developing countries of course). I really hope that other governments will follow NY and maybe even ban more unnecessary single-use plastic.
I firmly believe that plastic bags should be banned everywhere, as it’s an incredibly small price to pay for the health of the environment as a whole. Not only do plastic bags pose a threat to turtles, fish, and birds who mistake the bags and other forms of plastic for food, they pose a direct threat to human health on a global scale. These organisms who are lower on the food chain then transfer the plastic they eat up the food chain, eventually, often, reaching humans and resulting in them consuming microplastic. It’s estimated that, globally, humans eat “the equivalent of a credit card of plastic every week” (“10 Facts”). Even if people don’t care enough about the environment to want to limit their usage of plastic, they should care enough about their own health to want to attempt to preserve Earth. This issue needs to be considered on a global scale, as well as with the long term effects in mind. As the world population grows, which it will continue to do, the consumption of plastic will only increase and, in turn, so will its negative impacts on the environment. Anything any state or country can do to help counteract this should be done without a second thought. Americans alone “use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture” (“10 Facts”).
I firmly believe that plastic bags should be banned everywhere, as it’s an incredibly small price to pay for the health of the environment as a whole. Not only do plastic bags pose a threat to turtles, fish, and birds who mistake the bags and other forms of plastic for food, they pose a direct threat to human health on a global scale. These organisms who are lower on the food chain then transfer the plastic they eat up the food chain, eventually, often, reaching humans and resulting in them consuming microplastic. It’s estimated that, globally, humans eat “the equivalent of a credit card of plastic every week” (“10 Facts”). Even if people don’t care enough about the environment to want to limit their usage of plastic, they should care enough about their own health to want to attempt to preserve Earth. This issue needs to be considered on a global scale, as well as with the long term effects in mind. As the world population grows, which it will continue to do, the consumption of plastic will only increase and, in turn, so will its negative impacts on the environment. Anything any state or country can do to help counteract this should be done without a second thought. Americans alone “use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture” (“10 Facts”).
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(pt. 2)
Oil being used in such a high concentration for such a small portion of the world and such a small portion of plastic usages is only going to deplete Earth’s supply even faster. Humans rely heavily on oil for countless things, and if it continues to be consumed at this rate, society won’t have the necessary time to make a fundamental shift to relying on other materials. If people don’t have the common decency to take into consideration how much this harms the environment, they at least need to have enough of a sense of self preservation to understand that this is only putting their futures at risk. Changes need to be made, society can’t continue to take from Earth without giving anything back because in doing so, they’re only harming themselves in the end.
They should ban the plastic bags because they are a huge problem to our environment. I don't get why they were made they kill 20 kids a year. Millions of sea animals are also hurt. It's not fair to the sea animals.
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Plastic bags should be banned everywhere. They hurt animals, take hundreds of years to decompose, and are not very durable. Millions of plastic bags are washed onto the ocean, and affect the innocent sea creatures that live in the waters. Birds become victims to them when the bags get stuck on their legs and they struggle to fly. These bags can accidentally become food to the animals and can hurt or even destroy their bodies. Also, after they enter the ocean, they don’t just disappear. In order for them to disappear, you would have to wait for a very long time. Plastic isn’t like a banana that can be decomposed and disappear in a few years. So even when you throw them away wanting them to disappear, they don’t. They just end up in another landfill that will take thousands of years to decompose. Lastly, they don’t even last a long time. They can easily break, and when you throw it away, it will just create more trash. Rather than plastic bags, reusable bags are much more eco friendly. They are more durable, washable, and you won’t have to worry about them hurting the precious lives of the animals living in the ocean.
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In my mind, there is no plausible explanation for not banning plastic bags. The thin plastic used in common grocery bags is unable to be recycled by most recycling centers and is very expensive for the ones that are able to recycle them. This creates an excess of plastic that nobody wants to deal with. Further, about 300 million tons of plastic are used every year, creating pollutions problems in all ecosystems. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we’re quickly destroying the world we live in. Without quick and proper action, our selfish ways will inevitably lead to the next mass extinction. The minor inconvenience that some may experience is greatly outweighed by the positive impact that a ban would have on the environment. Are we so selfish and lazy that we are willing to put our slight conveniences before the future of the planet?
If plastic bags were to be get banned, I believe shoppers would then be motivated to bring their own bags to stores. My family and I tend to actually re-use plastic bags, but even though we use them, I feel that we can easily adjust to using reusable bags and it would be a lot better for the environment. Some pros of embracing this practice is that reusable bags are better for the environment and also grocery stores wont have the added expense of providing plastic bags. A con of eliminating plastic bags is that the customers won’t always have reusable bags available or maybe they don’t have the extra money to buy a reusable bag
The negative consequences plastic bags bring to our ecosystem and health of our environment are too large to not alter the amount of plastic we use daily. By banning plastic bags, although it might not be the most convenient choice, it will ultimately be extremely beneficial in the long run. Yes, it will be a struggle to many business and on-the-go shoppers to change their detrimental habits. However, it’s not too difficult to bring a reusable bag that may cost you a small amount now, but save you more in the future. There are already several alternatives to plastic bags such as paper bags that can be reused for multiple things, as well as large, sustainably made bags made to be reused daily. Personally, in my household, we’ve eliminated using plastic bags for a few years now and only use paper or reusable bags when grocery shopping or buying something small at the mall. If not, we opt out of a bag and carry our purchases. The small price many Americans will have to pay to create less of a waste in our environment for the future, will benefit them and other animals in the long run and this law should be implemented across the United States.
While the banning of plastic bags sounds extremely inconvenient and damaging, I believe that it is the smart choice when thinking about environmental sustainability. As everyday consumers, it is extremely difficult to live an eco friendly lifestyle when non renewable products are the most accessible goods out there. It is up to the people in power to create policies that force the general population to live more green. Other alternatives to plastic bags already exist, but we are not using them effectively. By banning plastic bags, we are forced to use these eco friendly alternatives more available. As time and technology progresses, they will eventually become so accessible, that it would become the social norm.
While some people may feel that banning plastic bags is a horrendous mistake, the benefits of banning plastic bags simply outweigh the inconvenience of not being able to use a plastic bag. While banning plastic bags may be annoying at first, as you may forget your reusable bag from time to time, eventually we’ll all fall into a habit, one that will have a lasting effect on our planet. Banning plastic bags is an important transition when looking at improving our environment and limiting our landfill waste, and once the transition is made, bringing reusable bags will become second nature. Although some products are not subject to the plastic bag ban, the ban will still greatly reduce the amount of plastic bags used, even if there are a small amount of products that will need to use plastic bags.
Every time I see this debate I want to respond right away because it’s something I have a solid opinion too. I do think we should ban plastic bags but I also understand it can’t happen overnight. Select states have already implemented a fee for using plastic bags when checking out at a store. I think this is a step in the right direction and that all states should be willing to push for a plastic free environment. Plastic bags are a small part of a bigger problem which is important to human and ecosystem health. Changing this one wrong can not only be better for the environment but also help with awareness that people will be forced to acknowledge.
I believe that banning plastic bags will have a tremendous impact on our environment. These bags use an absurd amount of energy to create, and because most of us don't dispose of them correctly, they end up polluting our waterways and posing a threat to our oceans and wildlife. Plastic can take up to a thousand years to break down, but they're not biodegradable, which means the toxins from plastic will eventually enter the food chain.
While this ban might be hard for people, especially in the beginning, I think it's a necessary step we need to take.
Me and my family don’t tend to bring our own reusable bags but when we go to the grocery store and the cashier asks if we want a plastic or paper bag we say paper. Since working class people and/or families might not be able to afford all of the necessary bags and might forget to bring them and have to buy more which can cost a lot over time. Even though there can be cons to the plastic bag ban it also really going to help wildlife like fish and turtles.
@Haddie W I agree with what you said that some people might not be able to afford to buy paper bags all the time but if they are willing to buy 3 or 4 reusable bags all at once it would only be a one time fee and they wouldn't have to consistently pay everytime or if they chose to pay every time they would be able to buy 200 paper bags for only $1 because the article states they are 5 cent each. So overall I think that is a pretty fair deal even for people who might be short on income.
I think that Plastic bag should be banned because people don’t Recycle the bags and eventually throw wherever they can. Those plastic bag is mostly thrown in the water which can kill plenty sea animal. If the plastic bag is banned than the population of sea animal will increase and the water pollution will decrease
@Cindy that is right they should be banned
Plastic bags should be banned everywhere because it kills the turtles and other animals \fishes in the sea. It's very bad for the earth,places and the most importantly the
Plastic bags pose a major threat to both marine and wild life. They cause pollutants in the air and are non-biodegradable so they stick around for much longer. Getting rid of plastic bags would do the world good in a sense that the air would be slightly cleaner.
I think that it is an important transition banning the use of plastic bags, especially in a big city like NYC. It is a necessary change for the better of our world. The ban should help with the use of reusable bags for shopping or have more people accept offers for reusable bags when they leave or enter stores. My family does tend to use plastic bags from stores, but we keep them to use again for other needs and do not throw them away. I think that this is a good counter to the argument on these bags, but most people do not use them responsibly in the same way. The general cons of plastic bags are the lasting of plastic substances for longer periods of time and these bags ending up littered through ecosystems that would be better off without them. There are still pros, but the environmental side of plastic bags is enough to cause more problems than should be necessary. I think that it can depend on the buyer’s situation, because plastic bags might be an easier fit for their needs, and that makes sense. Despite this, plastic bags have been a problem and in circumstances of having vehicles to carry groceries and any other items, the ban should continue to be carried out. You can argue that people could forget reusable bags and that one-use bags are easier for purchases, but our health and the planet’s health are much more important than these points, and we should be more focused on that than which bags we’re using at the store.
Yes, transitioning to a reusable bag is going to be a challenging one for individuals, but it is necessary. Our land and ocean life are in danger, and we must protect the earth's plants and animals, as we rely on them for our source of food and energy. Without plants and animals, then our species will suffer greatly. The reason why reusable bags pose an issue to our environment is that an ocean or wildlife animals can eat it, and die, causing less food for animals to eat, and causing a chain reaction around the world.
I think that the policy of banning every plastic bag is not just duable, but necessary. Nowadays, we see places being holders and dumps for plastic bags because of the slow dematerialization of its constituents and we can't keep piling garbage in our planet.
At first, it can seem bery difficult to eliminate plastic bags, as they are used in huge quantities and all over the world, but, in some places of Europe for example, people use their own single bag wich they can use as many times as they want. So, in my opinion, we should make easier to get this type of bags for each person (or even each family).
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@Pablo
I completely agree with you, I think that eliminating plastic bags would make a really big impact on reducing our pollution. Using reusable bags is a much better alternative for keeping the planet clean and could potentially save a sea animal from ingesting a plastic bag.
I think that the ban on plastic bags will make more people bring their own bags, because that is what happened where I live. My family and I always use reusable bags (unless we leave them in the car, in which case paper is the only option). There are pros and cons of no plastic bags. Some of the pros are that less plastic bags means less plastic in the ocean. Cons are that people have to spend more money on reusable bags. For some people that is money that they cannot afford to spend, but they charge here for paper bags so it kind of evens out.
I'm going to have to agree with most in this comment section, yes, I do believe that we as a country have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint. Only good can come from a change like that, especially since we only use plastic bags an average of 12 minutes. Some may say that they reuse plastic bags, and I'm not saying they're lying, I'm just saying that even if you do, not everyone does. And even so, when you're done with reusing those plastic bags, where do they go? Since the average family won't go to a local retail store to deposit their plastic bags for recycling it'll almost definitely end up in a landfill. And if the fact that the plastic is affecting marine life and our oceans in general, why not consider that every human in the developed world has plastic constituents in their blood. The amount of which can only get higher if we don't ban single use plastics. Another benefit to banning them would be using less fossil fuels to produce something that hurts the population which I think is pretty compelling. People may try to say that it's too hard to remember reusable bags, but I find that statement to be an incredibly lazy counter argument. Is our Earth's, and ours, health worth so little that people would rather avoid a small inconvenience like having to carry a bag when leaving the house? There are so many alternatives to plastic I'm surprised the states hadn't done this sooner.
In my opinnion, banning the plastic bags can be very helpful for the environnment, but also it can be something difficult for some people at first. Because of that I think that this needs to be do progressively, starting by putting a price to those plastic bags gived, and maybe later replaced them for reutilizable bags. Finally the final step could be banning the plastic bags, after giving the people some time to adaptate at this change.
Even though, I think that it would be very difficult to replace completely the plastic bags. This because it is even use to put all the garbage together until it is picked. So we need to search alternative to replace it at all and like that help the environment that we have been damaging for years.
Banning plastic bags is a great addition to the protection of the environment.
As stated previously, the loss of these products will inconvenience a great amount of people. However, this amount of people are stays short compared to the quantity of species facing human-made issues. There is no point in denying the environment has been suffering because of the human race, and one of its greatest enemies has been plastic for decades.
Plastic bags have been of amazing help to carry groceries, to run instant errands and other purposes. The lack of care we have about their destination is worrying though. The bags are useful, but how helpful can they be for animals whose habitat has been contaminated by them in trees and the sea?
Banning them is the answer to help improve our future, as the results in California where the plastic bag use reduced by 72% shows. Every state and eventually every country should implement the ban for a greater future.
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At any rate the restriction of the use and distribution of plastic bags would reduce the output of plastic pollution into our lands and waterways considerably. I believe that this ban on plastic bags in New York and elsewhere can only do good in the long run. After an adjustment period I see no reason to believe there will be any adverse effects due to the ban of these harmful bags.
We live in a fragile world. One which is beautiful, giving, and strong, but one that like all things has its limits. We must do everything that we can to preserve what we have today before it goes beyond repair. This plastic bag ban is one good step in the right direction.
Single-use plastics are extremely harmful to the environment and to the creatures living inside of it, but one that stands out among the rest for it’s extra harmful qualities is plastic bags. As stated in the article, plastic bags are harmful to wildlife, the recycling process for them is cumbersome, and they are quite the eyesore as litter. The question of when do the costs outweigh the benefits has been posed as a debate for many years resulting in multiple states and local communities banning or restricting the use of plastic bags.
According to National Geographic forty percent of all plastic produced is made into packaging which is then immediately discarded after use; along with the less than a fifth of all plastics that get recycled globally it is apparent that plastics systems are very dysfunctional. Not only that but nearly half of all plastics ever produced have been manufactured since the year 2000 which is all to say that an outdated process has seen it’s production skyrocketing in recent years and continues to grow without catching it’s systematic failures up to it’s manufacturing growth.
To answer the question in the first paragraph, I primarily either bring my own bag or not use one. I know using a plastic bag is bad for the environment so I try not to use them, however, it is difficult to find them anyway seeing as Oregon made a ban on plastic bags about a month before this article came out, as said in paragraph 5. Eight states have officially banned plastic bags and it is good progress toward reserving our Earth, but we need more states to take the leap and start taking steps toward the stabilization of nature.
@Brady James it is super interesting to know that 8 states already banned this items, and as you say, not only we need more states but more countries to do this! I, for exemple, live in El Salvador, a little country in Central America and here, plastic bags are very popular and pollution is a real issue in here. You can see, where ever you go to, at least a couple of plastic bags on the street. My family tries, just as you, to use as little as possible plastic bags, and if we do, we re-use them as many times we can. And so, I agree with you, action must be take action! The use of plastic bags can not just stop because of a policy from the government, but it thanks to an education of the population. Everyone should know that plastic is contaminating our planet and how bad this is.
No question, plastic bags are horrible. 100,000 marine creatures die from plastic bags every year, is that worth the convenience of plastic bags? No of course not! My family always uses reusable bags and its not bad at all, you just get into the habit of remembering to bring them whenever you go shopping. I understand the part about impulse buys and feeling like you need plastic bags to carry these but it's easy to fold a reusable bag to fit in your purse or briefcase. I've even seen reusable bags that can fold into your pocket making it even easier. I'm sure all of the people who are skeptical about the plan for plastic bags will change their minds when they see that it's actually not that hard to go plastic bag free.
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Plastic bags should definitely be banned. This may sound like a crazy idea, but what about silicone bags? they're non-toxic, they can be recycled, but they are not biodegradable. But I'm sure that Being recyclable would more than make up for it.
The terrible effects of plastic bags can be seen in the oceans very clearly, and I just don't understand why that isn't enough to stop production of them. I also noticed that New York uses 23 billion plastic bags each year. That's one city. It's unacceptable!
I still don't see why we can't just ban them all and be done with it.
If we can't ban them, why don't we make them cost a full dollar? And drop the paper bag price to free. People will stop wanting the plastic bags, as they would cost much more.
I don't see how there are skeptics about the plastic ban.
Is less plastic going to be bad for the environment?
People should most value time well spent! Not just whatever they want.
Thank you,
Alexander F.
I feel like they should or at least more people should reuse or recycle them cause it gets trash everywhere in water in the streets .
I think that banning plastic bags is a good idea. Sure, it might take a little time for people to adapt to having to bring there own bags everywhere, but it would do a lot of good for our environment. I live in Oregon, where plastic bags have already been banned. When they were banned a few months ago, I did not really notice because my family and I had always brought reusable bags when we went shopping. So for me, I adapted quickly.
I can understand why the workers are not interested in the ban, but I think they should look at the bright side. The workers could sell reusable bags and make more money.
I hope that soon all across the US they can ban plastic bags everywhere. I think it is a huge importance to not use plastic bags because it can hurt animals and it could be the start of certain diseases.
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The whole world relies on plastic bags. I somewhat agree that we should end plastic bag use but I don't know enough about it. There could be downsides that I don't know about.
The ban would change many things but mostly the consumers. In the beginning, people will most likely forget to bring their own bags. But after a bit of getting used to, people will get accustomed to this new way of living.
My family personally brings our own reusable bags almost all the time, and there are definitely are pros and cons. We don't always remember to bring them, so it's inconvenient and it's just another thing that you have to carry. Even with those inconveniences, the fact is that we are contributing to society and helping save the environment. Also, you wouldn't have a billion random plastic bags lying around your house.
It would be hard to start a new habit, selectively towards the working class but I don't think we should make exceptions, we need to all work together and make sacrifices.
If you are like me then you have numerous cats in your house. And if so, then you have had to clean out a litter box (you're not alone, no one likes it). Plastic bags can do the trick.
Rules with exceptions are not the best way of doing things but they are not out of the question.
For the last question, I think that yes, plastic bags can tell a story from their past by their appearance, but I'm not really sure why that is relevant. :)
Cutting out single-use plastics would leave everyone in a transitional period. Kicking their old habits of using a bag once to reusing it, until it becomes a habit.
This kind of ban would bring a major change in many Americans' lives, going so far as to motivate shoppers to reuse bags. A practice my family is a part of, being sure to use a bag till it has ripped. We reduce our carbon footprint by consuming fewer plastics, but groceries may get crushed if we run out of bags on a visit to the store.
Just because someone may use public transit, doesn’t mean carrying groceries back home will be any more of a challenge. The ban should be enforced on everyone equally since laws wouldn’t be fair if it affected one party differently.
You can always use a plastic bag as a trash can at home.
Some of the exemptions seem ludicrous, like prescription drugs and produce, because these items can be carried in a more efficient manner. What’s stopping someone from putting produce into a tote bag, or their prescriptions into a smaller specifically used reusable bag. The ban's effectiveness doesn’t suffer because of the few exceptions since some are sensible like easily contaminated materials and raw meat.
Certain plastic bags can tell you where they came from like bags with the classic smiley face coming from a Chinese restaurant. Other bags from a store such as Rite Aid has the store's label plastered onto the front.
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I think plastic bags should be banned everywhere because they don't really end up anywhere, they end up in places that they shouldn't end up in. like the ocean, and people don't notice that these bags are harming the marine life. Or if they don't end up in the ocean, they end up getting burned, causing a lot of toxic chemicals to rise into the atmosphere and polluting it.
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I think plastic bags shouldn't be banned because they are very reusable. Why because you can use them for any thing. For example you can use them for your lunch as a lunch bag, as a hamper to put your dirty clothes, they're good for laundry when you separate your socks , underwhere, your pants,shirts,bras, anything for laundry. Also you can reuse them for when you food shopping so you don't have to pay extra for more bags
@Ashanti Davis Hey, I see your point, and it’s great you’re reusing them! However, 100 billion plastic bags are used each year in America alone, and sadly, not everyone will reuse them like you do. Plus, I will add that each one can take a hundred years at most to decompose (some say a thousand, but plastic bags haven’t been around very long so it isn’t known) and the thing is, most of them never truly decompose, just break into smaller and smaller bits. I doubt you’ll use them forever, as they get dirty and full of holes. Also, they would just replace them with paper bags, which could also be used as a lunch bag yet decompose much, much faster (other things on your list could be replaced by rinsed food containers or boxes if you don’t have/can’t afford hampers or lunch bags made for that purpose).
I believe plastic bags should be banned around the country and even around the world because of detrimental environmental effects of their use and quick discarding. When one goes to the store, they typically carry out their groceries in single-use plastic bags. When they get home, they discard those plastic bags- sometimes in the recycling, sometimes in the trash, not realizing that they often times do not get recycled but are usually seen in the hundreds looking out one’s car window on the side of the highway. In our oceans, plastic bags suffocate and poison whales, seabirds, and salmon. Microplastics can be found in many types of seafood that we eat because of our rapid consumption of single-use plastic bags. If plastic bags continue to be used, they will wreak havoc on marine life and continue to clog storm drains, get stuck in trees, and litter streets and highway roadsides. The consequences of using plastic bags aren’t temporary- most plastic bags are ultimately not recycled, and it takes several lifetimes for them to decompose. The argument that it takes “too much effort” to remember to bring a reusable bag is completely outweighed by the fact that our world is just too important and in need of saving. In order to prevent events such as global warming that humans have created, we humans now need to begin making sacrifices for the well-being of our planet, starting with tucking a reusable bag in our pack for the day to carry goods in later.
In Should Plastic Bags Be Banned Everywhere, Shannon Doyne reports that as of March 1, 2020 New York banned all plastic bags given out in stores. She then asks the reader what bags we use and what do we think of the ban. Personally, when my family goes grocery shopping we bring our own reusable bags. We think that as a family we are doing good to help out our environment but as we look around we are the only one using reusable bags. Most people use plastic bags and just throw them away in the trash, but when that trash gets to the landfill the plastic bags do not decompose they just sit there for years. Then if you ask them why they do not use reusable bags they will either say they forgot them or it is too much of a hassle. Then you could ask why they do use paper bags and they will respond saying paper is not good for the environment. But they will use plastic bags that are also not good for the environment just for convenience.
In my opinion I think that New York is trying to help the environment by banning plastic bags. And I think all major cities should do this because it can drastically help the environment. But what about all the other plastic that humans use in a day. People will use plastic products over any other product just because of how convenient it is. But the government cannot necessarily ban all plastic products, that would be impossible.
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With the growing amount of plastic in the oceans and rivers around the globe, it has been proven to us time and time again that single-use plastic has nothing but negative impacts on our environment. Though these one-time shopping bags are durable and offer prime convenience, I feel that it is extremely important that citizens begin to sway from their use and begin to practice the use of reusable grocery bags. Since the implementation of a plastic bag ban in my area, my family has begun to use primarily reusable bags. Although it may be difficult hauling them back and forth or even remembering to bring them to the store with you, our environment should be prioritized over our convenience. Not only will embracing these bans alleviate the amount of plastic cascading into our oceans and landfills, but it will also allow for a cut back on carbon emissions generated during the making of these bags. Crafted for our convenience, plastic has left far more of an impact than anyone would have imagined. These grocery bags are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to single-use plastics, and implementing a ban on them is a step in the right direction.
@Paige L I agree with you on this. Having reusable bags would be better for the environment, save money, and be a step in the right direction. While reusable bags would cost at first, they are more reliable for our groceries and goods. they won't rip while your heavy items are in them saving you a bunch of trouble. Banning the plastic bags from most places would increase the worlds overall look. everything would be a little cleaner and a little more beautiful. Doing a small thing like getting rid of plastic bags would have a big impact.
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i think that with the current world situation, we need to control how we use our resources, and be very careful when it comes to things that we only use once. Although many groups have tried to find ways to re-use or re purpose the bags. i think the best way to take care of the situation would be to use re usable bags, or somehow completely eliminate the usage of the plastic bags in general.
The opinion of what I would think is that, Yes, we should get rid of plastic bags even if there are pros and cons between them. It has been an issue for an extended period that could have been addressing back then. They are not able to biodegrade at this point when all the plastic bags that used up have taken to machinery at recycling plants with other recycling. A con would be that people would not be able to pick up their own dog's waste whenever they are going to the park. With family, mine does use recycling bags when we are at home because we need to store something or for the bathroom can.
However, another thing is that it can also be a pro because when everyone is out somewhere on a quick run to purchase things. The social class of banning plastic bags is not going to affect in many ways because people can start getting used to not using plastic bags and benefit from other resources bringing to the grocery store, or convenience store. What I think is that using types of single-bags using for purchases that are not prion to the ban could not be useful to the environment because even when we are trying to throw away that single-bag. It could, in many ways, be hard to recycle and affect us humans. The plastic-bag designs show businesses are making profit. Yes, it does show where the time and place they were at because of the defining logos that are labeled or designed. It could include getting take out from a restaurant that could say "Thank you for shopping with us!"
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I think New York’s Plastic Bag Ban is a great idea that should be implemented throughout the country. We often hear about how our planet is slowly but surely deteriorating, and if you’re anything like me, it breaks your heart, but you just don’t know what you can do to really make an impact. This gives us the opportunity to make a change in a relatively simple way. The use of plastic bags has become typical among Americans, so much so that we never really stop to think about the harm they cause the environment. And while this proposal has been met with much backlash, would it really be that drastic of a change? Some families, like mine, do use these bags after we use them to bring home our groceries. One might take their lunch to school or work in one of these bags or put one in a bathroom trash can. But ultimately, these bags still end up in our landfills and oceans. Plastic bags can harm our birds and marine life, potentially disrupting nature’s cycle, and getting stuck places they aren’t supposed to be like on trees and up under cars. Do the uses really outweigh the effects? Another opposition this idea has been met with is that people will now have to plan their shopping trips. But again, is that really that bad? It’s prompting conscious spending. Since, you’ll have to always remember to bring reusable bags to the store, you wouldn’t be able to make random stops at the store. In the long run, it saves you money and helps you practice responsible decision making.
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There are many big reasons why plastic bags should not be banned. For example, a lot of homes around the country use these plastic bags to line the inside of their trash cans around the house. This means that banning plastic bags would result in these families having to go out and buy new trash bags that fit the different trash cans they might have. Another reason to not ban trash bags is because some people use these trash bags to pick up their dogs feces. If a ban on plastic bags goes into affect some of these people would stop picking up after their pets, and this would lead to hygiene issues.
@Jeffrey I agree with you but I think the article was talking about just grocery bags. It would be really hard to replace all the trash bags you were talking about. But it's so simple to use a reusable bag at the grocery store instead of using the plastic ones provided there.
I somewhat agree because plastic bags are bad but lots of people reuse the plastic bags and the paper bags come from cut down trees and we already do that way too much. My family doesn't use reusable bags but we store those plastic bags for use later. I think the ban of plastic bags will encourage people to bring their own. I don't think the ban will make it harder for working class people because they could bring their own bag that can be reused. I think that the exemptions are sensible because plastic bags could prevent contamination of items and I think that they are still necessary in some cases.
I think we should of did this a long time ago but now we have so much pollution that the oceans are getting poulluted i hope one day we can fix this all.
@libby blizzard, I completely agree, if we did this a long time ago, we could have at least started to reverse the damage done on our earth. Pollution has gotten so bad that we can try but I don't think that we can ever fully go back. Thanks for your insight. :)
There's only one answer to this question: yes! I think that we should have done this a long time ago. Pollution is one of the biggest problems in the world right now and we definitely need to start doing something with it. Plastic which cant be recycled should be banned at all. We don't need to be worried about how comfortable we will be with that. The only thing we should worry about is our future and the future of our kids who are going to live here on this planet. We should do something about that as soon as possible if we still want to live on this planet without being drowned in our own mistakes.
If New York's streets and parks are to be saved from the ubiquitous sight of single-use plastics bags, phasing them out, as Ms. Kande puts it, is certainly an "important transition."
Unfortunately, shoppers may not be motivated enough to bring their own reusable bags because it hasn't become a habit for the vast majority of New Yorkers; there are also options to purchase paper bags at stores where the ban applies and to also buy less eco-friendly alternatives to plastic bags. In California, where the plastic bag ban has been in place since 2016, overall consumption of single-use bags decreased but it is noteworthy to mention that there was a significant increase in the number of thicker plastic garbage bags - a product which requires more natural resources to produce and yields greater carbon emissions for the same purpose as a grocery store plastic bag.
Stores that are still permitted to give out plastic bags reduce the ban's effectiveness. If the state wants to effectively do away with plastic, they have to ensure that there are no viable methods of obtaining the very items that finds themselves in every corner of the city. Otherwise, the ban is merely the foundation to what we could be doing to further reduce plastic bag consumption.
Personally, when I'm traveling during summer break, I am satisfied knowing that I can place all my purchased items into the same cotton tote bag rather than having to carry several plastic bags from different stores.
In this country we need to learn that convenience is not as important as conservation. Yes, by going to the store, getting groceries in 20 plastic bags, and then never using them again is convenient, it has been proven to not be a viable way to do things, and has catastrophic effects on the environment. If we want to help the planet like everyone claims to want to, we must start by cutting back on the non-renewable resources that we use and make sure that they are being recycled instead of thrown out. Until we start making an effort to do something about our claims about wanting to fix the problem of wasting non-renewable resources, it will never happen, and it will never be resolved.
Ever since I was young I have helped carry handfuls of grocery bags into my house, never thinking about the harm those bags might be doing to the environment or what a complete waste it was to only use it once. Now I know that it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, even if people want to try to stifle it.
I've experienced the benefits of reusable bags in recent years. Although they are not as convenient as getting the plastic bags at the store, they are still very efficient at carrying anything that is needed and sends the message that we are finally looking out for future generations. Reusable bags are the future, and like everything else that is wasteful and harmful to the environment, non-renewable resources must be replaced by new alternatives.
I agree with Ms. Kande that no longer using plastic bags is an important transition. Although I think that this transition is one that needs to be slowly phased in. Completely getting rid of plastic bags at once will cause problems for people who aren’t planning to stop at a store on the way home from work. Many times husbands and wives will text each other asking the other to pick something up from the grocery store on the way home from work. Plastic bags no longer being available creates a problem for these situations because nobody carries around a reusable bag to work with them everyday just in case they have to stop to buy something on the way home. Also many people who don’t regularly use reusable bags need to start a new habit to bring those bags every time they go to the store. This is why plastic bags should be slowly phased out so people are reminded over time to start bringing reusable bags from home, so they can start building these habits over time.
I think plastic bags are a big contributor to the environmental crisis we are going through right now. Too many places all over the World have always used plastic bags. Grocery stores mostly. If you think about it people go to the grocery store very often, it's where people get most of all the essentials they need for their homes. So plastic bags are everywhere and they're polluting our Earth and causing lots of damage to wildlife and the environment. I think plastic bags should be banned everywhere. It's simple to move away from plastic bags and even most plastic objects. Grocery stores and clothing stores could easily switch to paper bags or anything else that can break down and not cause as much pollution. Reusable bags could be required and that will become the normal thing if enough places switch over to that and stop using all the plastic.
@Ashlyn Barnes I agree with you, if Grocery stores used reusable bags we wouldn't really have this problem with plastic bags.
I think banning plastic bags everywhere is a good idea. The next step could be to ban the brown paper bags because manufacturing them involves cutting trees, so that's detimental to the environment.
Reusable fabric bag is a better alternative. In France, there is some lax regulation about plastic bag however the European continent is one of the biggest plastic dumpers in the world.
At the beginning, it would be complicated for people to adapt, but it will help at the long-term.
Plastic bags are really a good element for fashionistas this will be perfect if you go to fashion weeks .
I also love walking around and see bags hanging in the trees.
I also love the sound of plastic swooshing when I walk the streets.
For me, plastic bags are really toxic and polluting our planet.
It polutes the oceans and the streets. In addition, plastic bags can be replaced by cardboard bags or less polluting material.
It is a silly idea to make bags that last forever to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags. People discard the long lasting bags and they float in the ocean. People should know that all shopping and dustbin bags break down into fine pieces and linger in the environment forever.
Think you are doing good? You are not!
I agree with Ms. Kande’s statement, single use plastics bags, although flimsy and easy to tear, are really dangerous to the marine life and are really hard to biodegrade. Banning grocery store plastic bags is a good way to reduce plastics. With the ban, people will be more willing to bring their own plastic bags from home. I live in a place where I am charge for plastic bags and my family started to bring our own reusable bags. Although, sometimes, we forget to bring our own reusable bags, but all stores I have been to always voluntarily gave out their un-used cardboard boxes. I think that’s such a genius thing to implement with the plastic ban because stores have a lot of un-used cardboard boxes to get rid of. It’s killing two birds with one stone. I understand how working class people might have hardships with this ban, but as someone in a working class household, we have no problem at carrying our own reusable bags, mainly because a lot of reusable bags can be folded easily so it won’t take much space. Before the plastic charge, my family tend to keep single-use plastic ban to carry lunches, but after the plastic charge, we tend to use reusable bags and cardboard boxes for day to day life. Banning every single use plastic bags is a good thing for the environment, but it may seem unreasonable. I think the exemptions to the New York plastic ban is a reasonable measure such as for take-out, because banning single use plastic bags in take-out definitely hurt business owners.
I disagree with Ms.Kande and believe that plastic bags should not be banned. When my mom comes back from the grocery store and I start to unpack the groceries she always tells me , " Don't forget to put plastic bags in the bin!". In my house we have a bin in our pantry that we store all the plastic bags we get from the grocery store. We tend to use them for trash bags to put in the small trash cans in our rooms and in our bathrooms, use them for cleaning my cats litter, use them for carrying snacks to my brothers games, etc. I typically keep one in my car to put trash in, and it is easy to just throw away. Overall, plastic bags do play major roles in people's homes and should not be banned.
@Hannah Krier Although I understand what you are doing and how that makes it better for the environment, I still think that we should ban plastic bags. if everyone else did that maybe we wouldn't have to but not everyone does and there is no way to make them and the insufferable amount of plastic bags that are being thrown around is unacceptable. there are other things you can use in trash bins and cars, personally I would recommend using paper bags as a substitute because they work just as well only they are better for the environment.
Should we start banning plastic bags? Personally, I wouldn't want to ban plastic bags because of the way I, and most likely other people of my pigment, was raised, but not everyone’s household rules or routines are the same as my own. I was, and still am, raised in a “black” home, where we use and reuse plastic bags everyday. When we put our groceries up, we join the plastic bags into one big plastic bag to be used later. My family and I use plastic bags for our hair, our trash for small clean up in our rooms or cars, our lunchbox, we even use them as our “spending the night bag” when we’re having a sleepover at a friend’s house. Yes, plastic bags are a source of pollution but who is to blame for that? Mostly, if you live in a “black” home, you are told to save the plastic bags, and never throw them away. So, if you want to know who keeps throwing away or just tossing plastic bags in the wind, to pollute or harm the environment? Don’t look at us.
I do think that plastic bags should be banned because about 100,000 animals die every year because off plastic bags, the main reason this is happening is because plastic bags look like an animal or the animals can’t see them because they are white or clear and they are not biodegradable so they will stay much longer in the wild than paper or cloth bags. My final reason we should switch is because it clogs the recycling machines so it can't be recycled so it fills up the landfill. If we switch to paper/cloth bags or no bags then there would be more benefits than not. In my opinion we should ban plastic bags.
@Noah Costakes I agree I think plastic bags are very harmful especially to animals because most of the time they don't know the difference of what it is and how harmful it can be for them. It does cause major pollution also so I agree about how it can clog the recycling machines and fill the landfill.
The ban on plastic bags is necessary. I agree with the notion that eventually the disuse will seem natural—there was a point in time when people encouraged plastic bags over paper because they were more “environmentally friendly,” and it’s clear how that turned out. Hopefully the ban on plastic bags in New York will set an example for the rest of the country.
I don’t believe banning plastic bags is a good idea. So many people use plastic bags for many reasons everyday and banning them may cause problems. Most people use plastic bags to transport things as well as carry groceries of course, but without them that would make that process difficult. Although there are alternatives such as paper bags and cloth bags, plastic bags are already used world wide so putting a stop to them would be extremely difficult.
My family uses lots of paper bags and reusable bags. I really hate to use plastic bags because it makes me feel so guilty every time I use one. I live by the beach so I am a firm believer in ‘saving the sea turtles’ and cleaning the beaches. I hate to see the beaches dirty and city streets for that matter. It breaks my heart to see a piece of plastic floating in the water. Many sea turtles die every year because when they see a plastic bag floating in the water, they think that it is a jellyfish and jellyfish are one of sea turtles' favorite snacks. I have heard that it takes more power and energy for us to make paper bags. I’m not quite sure if that's true but if it is I think that we could use the extra energy that we get from.. Say, solar panels…. And then we could make more paper bags so it isn't as bad for the environment. Or we could all just ourselves some reusable bags and make it a habit to take them every time we go into a store. Whether it's for groceries or clothes I think it would help us out a whole lot more.
I think this is great, having a place like New York ban plastic bags is a really good start to banning them everywhere. My family used to save plastic bags, but now we don't. We carry everything by hand, it does take more time but for my household, it gets more fun. We try to see who can carry the most without dropping anything. It's fun and it helps the environment, I can't wait to see other states follow their lead.
I definitely agree with Ms. Kande, banning plastic bags is a good way to get people to stop using them and transition to other methods. With the current state of the earth, and how much plastic in general is contributing to this, banning plastic bags would definitely help to reduce how much plastic is being put into the oceans, and into landfills. I think that this ban will motivate shoppers to bring their own bags to stores, and I have also noticed on social media that some people who were part of the ban have become even more creative with how they carry their groceries, with one person carrying them in a traffic cone. I think that it could affect some working class people, but the overall benefit of helping the planet overweighs this in my opinion, so I think that the ban should still be enforced. I do actually reuse plastic bags in my house, usually for wrapping extra items, and as trash bags, along with being used to carry food sometimes. I think that a majority of the exemptions are sensible, when it is regarding food, it simply makes sense, so I overall don't think that these exceptions lower the ban's effectiveness at all.
@Nicole Medina I agree that we should still enforce the ban even if it affects some people it is still worth it. I also like the idea of using them as trash bags. I also agree that the expectations won't really affect the ban.
I think all plastic bags should be banned everywhere. And the next step is to ban the brown paper bags. When I go to the grocery store with my dad we bring our own bags every time. When I go with my mom we use paper bags. We haven’t used plastic bags for at least 2 years. I believe it’s made a difference. My grandma lives in Scotland, me and my brother go visit her every summer. They have a fee therefor every plastic bag you have to use at the grocery store.
I agree with the New York plastic bag ban. I think we still need trash bags but I hope in the near future we find a different material for them.
The plastic bag ban is a great idea but for most people will be a tough transition. I know some stores give you a few cents off for using reusable bags or have a tax for using plastic bags. Having something like this at every store might make the transition easier and get people willing to use reusable bags.
I believe that plastic bags should be banned altogether and so does the city of Wilmington, N.C. There are 3 stores in Wilmington that believe that we should eradicate single-use plastic bags. These stores include Costco, ALDI, Trader Joe’s. Both Costco and ALDI let you bring your own reusable so you can bag your goods while Trader Joe’s uses paper bags which are recyclable. As a community the city of Wilmington, N.C. is working together to help the environment.
I personally feel single-use plastics should be banned or we need to find a better way to get people to recycle. Single-use plastics are killing wildlife and plant. They are making are planet die before our eyes. But you also have to think about how are we going to get every single person in America to stop using single-use plastics. But I do feel we should start taking steps to get are planet as plastic-free as possible. We could use reusable water bottles and containers to prevent those single-use plastics.
The article talks about places that are doing there part to help decrease the use of single-use plastics. California saw a 72% plastic bag decrease. It also talks about the exceptions to the ban. Plastic can be used for takeout food; uncooked meat or fish. These are the small steps we need to take to make the planet a happy place for the upcoming years.
Headline: Plastic Thoughts?
I believe this change is very necessary. If we don’t change our habits soon we will see even worse effects than we are now. I think the way California charges the customers for their bags is a very effective way to do so. It seems like this will make plastic bags slowly fade from our everyday shopping life.
I think this ban could definitely help motivate shoppers to bring reusable bags. When they force it the change happens so much quicker. My family doesn’t really use reusable bags. Using the reusable bags can help with just cutting the time to unload the bags because there are like a million little baggies leftover and they are everywhere.
No, the ban should be for everyone. Nobody is unable to bring their groceries home if they walk because they can’t carry the bags. If they couldn’t carry the bags how would they carry all of the actual food home? These are just simple excuses.
These plastic bags are used around the house. Usually for holding wet clothes or extra bathroom trash bags. There are so many of them though, most get thrown away.
The exceptions do reduce the ban’s effectiveness. Using a paper bag is pretty close to a plastic bag. If we just got into the habit it would be so simple.
Clearly the bags in the design show where they were from by their logos. Some don’t have their logos though, these companies are smart. Who would want their logo on a plastic bag that is floating down the street or stuck in a tree.
I think the ban on plastic bags is a great idea. Hopefully the ban will spread to other states so we could have no plastic bags across the U.S. I think in the beginning of 2020, Thailand banned plastic bags and there were memes going around the internet of creative ways people would carry their stuff in. It seems like they took the new change in a funny way. I have also seen people turn plastic bags into rugs, purses, and other things. It’s amazing how people can turn something bad into something good.
My family and I save bags so we could reuse them later but I don’t really see the point as the bags are going in the trash anyways.
@Carla Luna, I think it is amazing that your family plastic bags to reuse later it really helps when everyone does there part. Also, I agree 2020 should be a year of change to better the environment.
I think in todays current environmental state, there should be a ban placed on the use of plastic bags. Whether the concern be, fossil fuels, the entanglement of wildlife in trash, or the large landmass of garbage floating in the ocean, the ban of plastic bags can greatly benefit the environment. Although some may argue the convenience and durability of plastic bags, the use of reusable and paper bags is not a huge change to make. Some stores don't even offer bags at all, at stores such as Aldi and Costco shoppers use carts to wheel there groceries to the car or carry them in a box the products were delivered in. I think a ban on plastic bags would benefit the environment and be an easy transition to make.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/learning/should-plastic-bags-be-banned-everywhere.html
Should Plastic Bags Be Banned Everywhere?
Ideally of course plastic bags should be banned everywhere but after taking a closer look at the availability, versatility, and history behind the bags you begin to see that although plastic bags may be bad for the environment they shouldn't be banned entirely just to a certain extent. It's understandable that citizens want to decrease pollution in their states but, when a state is as heavily dependent on the object that causes pollution then it becomes a question of needs vs wants. Since New York state uses about 23 billion plastic bags per year the transition to none will be costly for citizens and stressful for business owners since they're either going to have to charge for the bags or not provide them at all. While the law itself aims to slow down climate change ,which obviously effects the world positively, a decrease in the availability of plastic bags can effect the lives of the rich and poor negatively. Since California has implemented the law their plastic bag use has decreased by 72% but what about the other 28% of people why do you think they're still reliant on the bags?
Plastic bags should be banned to a certain extent for many reasons. The amount of plastic bags we use on a daily basis is not okay. We all know that our environment is degrading and only getting worse not better. We all know about all the marine animals and birds being harmed by our inconsiderate usage. We all know about the heavily polluted environment we are living in. We breathe in the polluted air and walk on the littered ground. But, most of us don’t seem to care. Most of us don’t do anything about it. We continue to walk around like everything is fine and it will get fixed on its own.
I am aware of the effects of plastic bags on the environment but, I do not think banning them is the answer to the problem. In the last few years there has been a lot of talk about what we should do about the pollution of plastic on the environment, many people believe the government should ban plastic bags. I don’t agree with this. I don’t think the government should be able to ban something as simple as a plastic bag. I think people should try to be more mindful about littering and try to use less plastic bags. Therefore the demand for plastic bags would decrease and so would the supply. Don’t get me wrong I understand the issue with plastic bags but I do not think banning them is the answer.
@Shelby Comets I disagree with you. While I do agree that plastic bags isn’t going to solve our problem, I do think that that it is part of our problem. If we can minimize the problem, even by a little in any way, we should take the steps in order to do so. The fact of the matter is, people aren’t going to care. They’re not going to be mindful unless they are forced to do so. Also, only 1% of plastic bags are recycled and the rest is dumped in landfill. Many different kinds of species are suffering and dying because of our choices. The least we could do is try to ban something as simple as this.
I for sure think plastic bags should be banned. Our sea animals are dying because of plastic and plastic is ruining our environment when decomposes in our soil. A smarter choice for everyone would be reusable bags, straws,ect... They could be made of plastic just not single use. The U.S. should ban plastic bags from grocery stores period.
@Amaya2nd Believe me, I'm not trying to knock reusable bags, but I know I, along with other people and other households, use plastic bags as reusable bags. Even if they have holes in them, we just double bag it with another plastic bag. That's just easier for us to do daily things that I know a reusable bag wouldn't be able to do or would be considered to be used for that task.
Personally I shop at Sam's Club most of the time, so the concept of getting rid of single-use plastic bags is nothing new. I think the concept is probable but there are things to consider. While we probably should watch our environmental impact I don't like the fact that Sam's doesn't give plastic bags because that means we have to go to Walmart or Bravo to get them. In my house, "single-use" plastic bags are used as trash bags and we can also use them when we do hair treatments. Plastic bags also make carrying everything inside easier. Then again if that's the only problem then people can buy a reusable grocery bag but you would probably need alot of them depending on how much stuff you buy. While I see where yhe banned is coming fro unlamented it is up to the people of new york to decide whether they like the law or not. And if they don't like the law they should take better care of where their plastic bags end up.
@Jamaelle Guerrier I agree with what you said about how we need to pay more attention to where our bags are ending up. I don't think that the convenience should have a huge impact on whether we keep the plastic bags or not. I sort of thought that maybe even getting rid of bags altogether would be even better and we could just use our hands. It sounds funny but I think that making a couple more trips to the car rather than damaging the earth in the long run would be better. In my house we use plastic bags for our bedroom trash cans too but I almost think that we could come up with an even better idea for that. What if we made a silicone mold for trash cans that are in the shape of a plastic bag and then you use them instead of the bags? That way you don't have to worry about running out of the trash bags and worry about having to hurt the earth for throwing them away. I think that there are lots of alternatives to the plastic bags, we just have to pull through and take that extra step to fix what mess we have created.
I think that we need to do everything we can to help protect the environment so yes that means almost totally removing single-use plastic bags from grocery stores and other businesses. I like that in the article they say that things like trash bags will not be banned but we really should find some better alternatives to help mitigate climate impact.
I no doubt think that plastic bags should be banned. I agree with Ms. Kande when she says that no longer using plastic bags is a very "important transition". There are other materials that do the same thing as plastic bags, and are safer for the environment. It breaks my heart when I see animals affected by plastic. Why would anyone want that in the first place?
I think that plastic bags could be fine for humanity, if people got rid of them in the right way and weren't so careless about them.
This topic should only have one answer to it. YES! We should be banning one use plastic bags in the United States as a whole. These bags are polluting our waters which in turn affects the world we live in. Where I live ALDI is a popular grocery store. In this grocery store they do not provide one use plastic bags to you. To be able to carry all of your groceries you are to bring your own bag into the store. I'm so glad New York has started something great hopefully it will spread around the globe.
I think that plastic bags should be banned for a few reasons. First, I feel that it will help our planet in a way. Plastic bags are polluting our planet and we don’t need them for everything when we have different ways to carry things like reusable bags or paper bags. My family owns a lot of reusable bags. But we also use plastic bags for many things around the house. Does your family use reusable bags? How about plastic bags? We use both but we are switching to only using reusable bags for many reasons. Second, these plastic bags are flowing into our rivers and oceans which is causing a lot of problems. It’s causing our animals to die one by one. It is also polluting our oceans. Our oceans are very important. They produce over half of our oxygen and our oceans transport heat from the equator to our poles. But some companies should be allowed to use them, such as some fast food places. I myself have been to New York and I know that there are a lot of little stations around the city that sell food or merchandise. They should be able to use plastic bags. It is crazy how many stores there are in New York and almost all the stores in New York use plastic bags. Yes, plastic bags should be banned in some cases but not all. Okay imagine your going on vacation to New York would you remember to bring reusable bags? I know I wouldn’t. But that’s what we’re going to have to bring with us.
Plastic bags are used in many ways but the way we use these plastic bags can also be harmful. A lot of people who use plastic bags don’t see the cause and effect of what they are doing to the sea and the environment around them. Plastic bags are everywhere such as lying on the streets, stuck in trees, landfills, oceans, etc. Even though plastic bags are good in some ways, they are also bad in other ways and people often don’t see that. People use plastic bags for shopping and other sorts of things. But when they don’t need it anymore, they’re either just thrown away in the trash or just out on the streets being blown away. These plastic bags often end up in the oceans which creates trouble for the sea animals and making it difficult for them to live their daily life. Most of our trash and litters are found in the oceans which leaves the sea animals thinking plastic bags or other trash as jellyfish or mistake them for other animals, leading them to become ill or die. In my opinion plastic bags should be banned or only be used for necessary things and should cost customers when taking them. This will reduce littering and drainage systems from clogging which will cause fewer problems. Banning plastic bags isn’t such a bad idea. But this will cause some concern for business owners and customers. They worry that the ban will make it hard for them to shop without planning ahead but I think it’ll help us think out of the box and use what we have around us for everyday use.
I think that banning plastic bags is an important transition that I felt should have happened much sooner. While I understand that this might affect some customers, I think that the positive effects outnumber the negative. In my own house, plastic bags are constantly reused for different purposes such as going to the grocery store. But, I believe that even the use of plastic bags should not be encouraged and alternative methods should be considered more often such as the use of paper bags. Personally, I do not believe that single-use bags for the purposes listed in the article should even be allowed. Hopefully, this transition will influence shoppers to start finding safer methods for carrying their purchases and be more eco-friendly.
I think that banning plastic bags is an important transition that I felt should have happened much sooner. While I understand that this might affect some customers, I think that the positive effects outnumber the negative. In my own house, plastic bags are constantly reused for different purposes such as going to the grocery store. But, I believe that even the use of plastic bags should not be encouraged and alternative methods should be considered more often such as the use of paper bags. Personally, I do not believe that single-use bags for the purposes listed in the article should even be allowed. Hopefully, this transition will influence shoppers to start finding safer methods for carrying their purchases and be more eco-friendly.
In my house we do use plastic bags as bags for our trash cans since we can’t buy new ones due to time and its less wasteful for the plastic bags. We try to use them to carry lunches or food on trips, or to just use them as lunch bags. That's basically all we use them for so we try to make it worthwhile.
Although most people (like myself) rely on plastic bags as a means to store their groceries/fast food etc., plastic bags can easily be replaced with paper bags in order to help save our planet. New York has recently banned plastic bags with the hope of cutting down on the “23 billion” bags that they use each year. When the state of New York alone banishes plastic bags, there will be a drastic change in their community. If countries around the world implemented this ban of plastic bags there would be an unreal amount of progress. Because our environment currently has a strong demand to cut down on single use plastic, plastic bags is the perfect way to start. Not only do plastic bags add on to the piles of trash found on the ground, but they also “harm birds and marine creatures.” Some people may say that banning plastic bags won’t even begin to help cut down on single use plastic, but in reality a large percentage of the plastic bags used in New York endup being “one of the most problematic forms of garbage.”
Plastic bags at my house are used for many reasons. They may be used as a mini trash bag in our rooms or a purse for clothes when we have sleepovers. Carrying groceries isn’t the only use of plastic bags.
I think that plastic bags should most definitely be banned. People just need to get used to bringing their own reusable bags. I think that this change could reduce the amount of waste in our planet by a large number. Every little change helps us advance to a healthier environment and people need to realize that so many of the daily activities they do contain things that harm our environment. I’ve already noticed some store adapting to this policy and at first, it’s hard to get used to but as long as you keep a few reusable bags in your car or with you walking around, you won’t even be bothered by the change anymore.
It is easy for me to say that we should begin to phase out plastic bags. To say that we should charge a small fee for people to use plastic bags. Since I am someone who is passionate about the environment, I believe that reducing the use of plastic bags would then help reduce pollution and landfills. But, I do believe there are some cons to banning plastic bags that aren’t talked about.
First of all, not everyone has the money to pay for reusable bags or to buy plastic bags whenever they go to the store. A possible solution would be to selectively enforce the policy by giving certain people tags to notify that they do not have to pay for plastic bags. Secondly, reusable bags, when disposed of, are much worse for the environment than plastic bags. Although, I imagine that fewer reusable bags will be disposed of than plastic bags.
But on the pro side of the plastic bag ban, reducing plastic bags used will have a positive impact on marine life, pollution, and less plastic in landfills. Much less plastic in landfills. If Americans use many plastic bags WEEKLY, then just imagine the amount of plastic we could reduce!
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@Keira McWilliams Lastly, for most Americans, especially those that make up a majority of the consumerism industry, the small addition to their daily routine of keeping a reusable bag in the car shouldn’t be a big sacrifice. My family has created a habit of keeping reusable bags in our car. Whenever we forget them at home, we feel guilty for adding waste to the environment that we could have easily prevented. Many people have the mentality that their small contribution isn’t doing anything, but if our nation as a whole can make even a small effort, then it can improve our planet.
@Keira McWilliams I believe that putting a fee on plastic bags is the way to go. If we are to put a price on plastic bags it would discourage people from using them and it could make our world a better place.
@Keira McWilliams
I completely agree. Putting a fee on plastic bags would make it harder for some to get plastic. Therefore as a nation we could help ban them.
I am aware of the effects of plastic bags on the environment but, I do not think banning them is the answer to the problem. In the last few years there has been a lot of talk about what we should do about the pollution of plastic on the environment, many people believe the government should ban plastic bags. I don’t agree with this. I don’t think the government should be able to ban something as simple as a plastic bag. I think people should try to be more mindful about littering and try to use less plastic bags. Therefore the demand for plastic bags would decrease and so would the supply. Don’t get me wrong I understand the issue with plastic bags but I do not think banning them is the answer.
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In my opinion, the plastic bag should be banned globally. There are several alternative options to using the generic plastic bag that it almost seems like we are still harming the environment on purpose.
Hopefully, people will now be more likely to purchase inexpensive but very useful and practical reusable bags, to help our environment. I feel like it could greatly impact the earth in a good way if everyone just brought reusable bags to stores.
I believe it is an easy solution to a huge problem on our planet, and it seems to be solved easily by making one change in your daily lives.
My family doesn’t use plastic bags for grocery shopping often. My mom has lots of reusable bags in her car’s trunk. My dad doesn’t have any in his car, though. I think banning plastic bags will increase the creativity of people. I don’t remember where I saw it, but a store banned plastic bags from being anywhere in the store, so people had to bring different items to carry their groceries with. The pros of banning plastic bags would be to help the environment, but the cons would be that some people might struggle without being able to carry their food or other things.
I think that it is important to cut down on single-use plastic bag usage, because of how bad our environment is, and how it is continuously deteriorating. In my opinion it is not only important, but crucial to reduce the amount of plastic used, as that will help stop the deteriorating environment. I think that a plastic bag ban, such as the one in New York, will stop consumers from using as many plastic bags, or make the switch to reusable ones. I believe that the plastic bag taxes imposed by some states are not severe enough to stop the usage of single-use plastic bags, as they have become a necessity to the average American shopper.
Plastic bags shouldn’t be banned everywhere. Other people, including myself still use them, especially when it’s time to go grocery shopping. Not with just grocery shopping, but plastic bags can come in pretty handy in many situations. Everybody doesn’t need plastic bags but some of us do, think about the people that have to walk home with grocery bags in their hands.
@Ty’anna Ash Plastic bags aren't the only thing people can use to carry their groceries home. In fact, when I was younger, our family used to use plastic bags at the store and they frequently broke or ripped. Cloth and reusable bags are more sturdy, therefore they're actually better to carry stuff on the "walk home with grocery bags".
This article clearly states the many reasons why New York found many more pros than cons in this situation, and banned them entirely. I have to disagree with you, Ty'anna, because the future of our planet seems far more important than being able to use a plastic disposable grocery bag.
I agree with Ms. Kande because I think that if people that frequently use plastic bags get used to making transitions like this, more people will be transitioning further away from plastic usage. It is also an important transition because New York is a big area with a very large population and 23 billion plastic bags used by people in New York will not be used because of the transition.
The ban will most likely get people to bring their own bags because the ban does not allow the plastic bags provided by stores. People will probably use reusable bags. I use bags brought from my house that are reusable. Bringing your own reusable bag means less plastic bags will go to waste, but you have to keep the same bag and you won’t be able to take a plastic bag provided for you.
I live at the beach and see a lot of plastic bag pollution that not only hurts marine life but looks ugly. For this reason, many coastal towns and cities have voted to ban bags.
However, a ban on plastic grocery bags may have unintended consequences that do more harm than good. Bans overlook that many people re-use bags for other purposes like lining garbage cans or picking up dog waste. Just because bags are banned, doesn’t mean that they still aren’t needed. Dog owners and others may start buying plastic bags instead of upcycling the free ones. And, the ones they buy are usually thicker and have a worse environmental impact. Paper bag usage may also go up. While paper bags are biodegradable, producing them still has a negative environmental impact. The ultimate problem with a ban is that people still need bags.
I believe that a fee or tax on plastic bags is a better solution, because it still pushes people in the right direction in terms of reusing bags and remembering to bring re-usable bags to the store. If there was a fee in place, you wouldn’t let the bag boy put one tiny thing in a bag.
Any tax or fee collected should be used for recycling and education. People should also learn how to recycle plastic bags. They can’t go in the curb recycling because they clog up the recycling equipment at the recycling facility. Instead, you have to bring them to the grocery store. A lot of the plastic bag problem can be solved with education and communication.
Plastic bags are used in my house often. We have a bunch of them stashed neatly in our kitchen to be used for multiple things. Before walking my dog; we quickly grab a plastic bag in case she poops. The bags in general are also a good way to carry things back and forth. For example, I use them to pack my lunch for school. This is the easiest way for me because the bag doesn’t take up as much space as if I were to use a lunch bag. Overall, plastic bags are very effective.
@Kira Douglas I definitely agree with you about the usefulness of plastic bags. But when there are other options available to be used for everything you just listed. It feels ridiculous to not switch out of convenience. When you could simply use a cloth bag, or buy reusable dog bags, why are you instead choosing to use a material so harmful to our planet?
For the past couple weeks it has been a running challenge among my family and friends to eliminate plastic from our lives for a week at least. The goal was to show them how easy this act is, and how much a of a big impact it can have.
I completely understand that consumerism is not the only factor in the elimination of plastic. A solution I pose is the implementation of a specialty tax on plastic. Using a summary of basic macroeconomic concepts, money market graphs predict that when the prices for goods such as plastic and styrofoam increase, the demand will decrease. And the excess demand for other—more eco friendly products—will increase.
The ability to change how many harmful products we use in our daily lives is not only simple, but a necessity.
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This is not ok. As someone who objects to any government intervention this is not ok in my book. America; land of the free, home of the brave but we can use a plastic bag? We have the government telling us how to get our groceries home from the store. If people are so concerned with pollution and plastic getting into the ocean then bring your own reusable bags. Don't force me to. If people have to be forced to do something then maybe that thing isn't very popular and shouldn't be compulsory.
If you want to save the planet then do so but don't make me because I don't throw my plastic bags into the ocean or the landfill, I recycle mine. I am not hurting the environment or destroying the planet so don't make me do something that you think will help the planet so you can have a nicer place to live.
Plastic bags should’ve been eliminated the moment environmental protection became such a big deal after the turn of the century. Everyone has to eventually go to a grocery or appliance store and there are always plastic bags provided that get used for the trip back home, and then either get trashed or hoarded. Tote bags on the other hand give way more utility and a positive effect on the environment. I completely agree with Ms. Kande that the absence of plastic bags is an important transition, as even my relatively clean town has a few stray plastic tumbleweeds from now and then. I one day hope to drive through my town without seeing any waste, and this right here is a good start.
@Joe Keller I do not think plastic bags should be completely forgotten and banned, because some people re-use the bags instead of throwing them away. Paper bags are better for the environment after they've been used, but paper comes from trees and I feel like we cut down enough trees already. There is no point in banning plastic bags in favor of reusable bags when people re-use plastic ones in the first place.
Humanity is known for ignoring their problems. But one of the least talked about aspects of the human impact on the environment is the use of plastics. Ever since their inceptions, plastic has been very easy to produce and use. What can go wrong with such a durable material?
Everything!
Having such a durable material causes severe effects on the environment. And that's because we just can't get rid of plastic No matter what we do!
Burn it,
Drown it,
Rip it apart!
But it doesn't get rid of plastic! It clogs up the water, and can smog up the air. The use of plastic is one of the irresponsible actions humanity has done to the environment. I say amen to any laws to ban plastic. Because there is no other way we can avoid it.
@Jeffery Austin Your idea that if we simply ban the use of plastic is very flawed. What will we do with all the plastic already in use? Instead of banning the use of plastic we should attempt to reclaim plastic from landfills because it will save us in the long run. Plastic lasts forever like you said so we should embrace this by using recycled plastic as much as we can.
@Yates Kirby I agree, plastic is recyclable and last way longer. I definitely think that recycling the bags makes more sense than totally eliminating them.
I could not agree more when the words, “plastic bag” and “band” appear in the same sentence. About a year and half ago, I started really getting into helping the environment, recycling, reducing plastic, and knowing the facts and effects it has on our world. My parents might even say I’m “plastic crazy”. Meaning I get really mad when my parents drink out of plastic water bottles, use plastic bags at stores, and recycle improperly. And as much as I want to disagree with them, I can’t. Because it's true. Whenever I go into the store with my mom, I make sure we bring in reusable bags. I also tend to criticize my family members for drinking out of plastic water bottles. Because I am proud to say that I have not drinken from a plastic water bottle in about a year and 5-6 months. And to add on to that, I am always keeping up with the climate protest, and environment issues. Mainly having to do with one of my biggest role models in life, Greta Thunburg. She is doing so much to spread awareness and help solve this climate crisis that we have. I think that reducing and/or banning plastic used in our everyday life will help solve our situation, immensely.
Did you know that millions of tiny micro-plastics make their way into our waters, the bloodstream and digestive system of fish, and into our sushi, shrimp, and fish? Americans consume about a credit card of plastic every week. It’s everywhere, our food, our water, even our air. Birds, fish and sea turtles are eating plastic, mistaking it for food, and dying. The culprit is single-use plastics. Even when they are thrown away, they take thousands to millions of years to decompose, despite being used and thrown away in a second. Banning plastic bags would be the first step in the right direction of moving away from plastics as a culture. As Americans, we are obsessed with plastic. Every time you go somewhere you get a plastic bag. It’s unnecessary, we have affordable, reusable bags widely available. Some states have already taken this step, and they are okay! People have adapted to the change. A country-wide ban of plastic bags would be a shock at first, but I believe it is necessary if we want to curb the problem of plastic pollution. If we continue our current consumption of single-use plastic, soon we will be drowning in a sea of grocery store bags.
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@Ashlee Waitkus
I'd like to applaud you on the amount of research you've put into your comment. I never knew just the impact and effects plastic bags have on so many things on the earth until reading your comment on micro-plastics. I was aware that plastic was causing harm in the ocean, but I never realized just how much harm it could do, and how it also can circle around back to us.
I also agree that more places in the United States banning single-use plastic bags is a very positive change that is occurring, but another thing the article considers is the effect these laws have on local businesses. Especially in places such as New York City, the economy is largely based off of smaller family-owned stores which rely on "the stop-n-shop" mentality New York has on grocery-buying in order to make ends meat. The article argues that this ban on plastic bags leaves shoppers less willing to buy produce/goods from smaller stores if they don't have a bag on them and wouldn't be able to receive one in the store.
Possibly in slowly implementing changes which build up to the overall ban of single-use plastic bags would be a good middle ground to help instill these laws into more places, while decreasing the severity the new changes have on the local community.
@Ashlee Waitkus A couple of years ago I went to a city in which they charged a small fee for each bag you used. This caused consumers to stop and think more about the decision of if they really needed a bag for a one time use. This is a great step in the direction of reducing bags.
I was very impressed with the research that you did on the effects on tiny micro- plastics. It is astonishing how plastic is everywhere and to think that we consume a credit card amount a day. Your comment was very motivating and I believe it is something we need to think about more in our society.
I 100% support the idea of banning plastic bags everywhere. This is an important step to take in the right direction of creating a change that becomes the norm. Regardless of the arguments against abandoning plastic bags— such as it being an economic hardship for lower classes and making many lives more difficult— are invalid because all of these issues have a way to get around it. While it may be easier for low income families to use one-use plastic bags for free, they could instead be provided with reusable grocery bags. For people living in urban areas and using transportation, they could also use the reusable bags. All of the arguments against getting rid of plastic bags should not be considered, because what is the difference between using a plastic bag or a reusable bag? It’s understandable that many people don’t want to use paper bags because they fall apart easily, especially in the rain. But having a few reusable grocery bags is durable, and environmentally clean.
The steps taken by California, Oregon, and New York are useful and can tell us the impact of plastic bag bans so we can implement better process across the country. If the government, federally and on the state level, can properly carry out a ban of plastic bags, the general public will become more accepting of the ban and gradually transfer to more sustainable options for shopping bags.
@Ryan Kees
I agree that if we get the government to support this and help us make this change it will get us closer to a safer and cleaner environment.
I believe this is certainly a step in the right direction. If given substantial warning, residents will have time to get reusable bags, and our communities and planet will benefit because of it. The waste caused by plastic bags is immense- plastic is non-renewable, and after use, they do not decompose for thousands of years. However, it is crucial that we encourage citizens to bring reusable bags (preferably not made of plastic themselves, rather recycled or cloth material), as the emissions needed to make a single paper bag (such as Trader Joe’s) are actually more than needed to make a plastic one. We should not only ban plastic bags, but should incentivize people to end the use of single use bags altogether.
I think the initiative taken by California, Oregon, and now New York is such a step in the right direction. With three super influential states making the change, I feel like a lot of other states will hop on the trend as well, creating a better environment for all of us, and plunging into creating a much healthier country and earth.
I think this is. A fantastic idea that should have been implemented when we first started noticing the damaging effects of those plastic bags. My family, mostly shopping for groceries at Target, tries our hardest to bring our plethora of reusable bags every time we go and though most of the times we are successful, there are few times were we use the stores bags in the off chance we forget. Target has a paper bag option and that is the only kind we take when shopping without our reusable bags but when we do have the bags, target gives like 5 cents off for every reusable bag you bring, which is a huge incentive for something most people should already be doing, nonetheless it's encouraging. Investing in almost any reusable bag is so beyond beneficial, you are helping the environment, your using a sturdy bag that you don't have to worry about tearing, or anyone/thing choking on, and its something you can literally use for a lifetime, that you bought at a flat cost!! With all that it boggles my mind as to why people are so against this whole movement. Another thought is how often we take bags without really needing them, those few items that are lightweight and easy to carry do not require a whole bag and handle for you to carry them 15 steps to your car. Isomeone asks (or even if they don't ask, tell them no), really think about whether or not the bag is completely necessary or if you're just being lazy, because 9/10 times, you're being lazy.
YES! Plastic bags need to be banned everywhere because they are so detrimental to the environment. I’ve noticed that in many stores they have started to use paper bags. Paper bags are a better option because they are recyclable, but reusable bags are even better. When I go grocery shopping, I use bags I get when I go shopping at clothing stores or bags that you can buy from Trader Joe’s. All are very sustainable and reusable. Some say if plastic bags were banned it would be harder for stores to sell items or buy reusable bags, but it is not that hard because people can bring their own or use paper. The benefits of banning plastic definitely outweigh the cost of this ban, and also will keep us hopeful for a clean environment in the future.
@Bridget McBride I agree that it is time for plastic bags to finally be banned, but paper bags are not the solution. They are even more detrimental to the environment during their production, so while they may seem like the more eco-friendly alternative, they are not. Other forms of reusable and recyclable bags, like canvas or cotton are definitely the way to go.
It may seem like a hard transition for people to move from plastic to reusable bags, but it will become way easier over time. People and businesses will be able to get past the original cost of the transition, and you are correct that the benefits will far outweigh the negatives. This act is also a step in the right direction towards getting other cities to do the right thing and ban single use plastics as well. This move will not only positively impact the environment as a whole, but it will have a good visual impact once some of the trash is removed from around the city. Like it is stated in the article, if it can be done in other countries, it can be done here.
This issue was thrown at me over the weekend when I helped my grandmother with her grocery shopping. She insisted on using the self checkout lane, and proceeded to place every item in its own plastic bag, some 50 items. This was very jarring for me, who, along with my family, switched to reusable bags which we always have in our car, particularly because she has gone grocery shopping for so many years, and must have used a unnerving amount of plastic. I think a ban or even a tax on plastic bags would be a huge step forward in management of our resources, and trash accumulation and certainly think it should be implemented everywhere.
Like millions of others, I unfortunately also rely on the plastic bags offered at grocery stores, clothing stores, and even McDonalds with my Happy Meal. However, banning plastic is something that should happen and can easily take place through the use of replacing those bags with paper bags like so many other main stream organizations and businesses have done. The common misconception is that banning plastic bags means no more bags at all for the consumer unless they bring their own non disposable bag. But that is absolutely not the case. Although reusable bags are the ideal situation, we all don’t carry those around and often forget to bring them. So, instead of plastic bags at the checkout counter and bringing your own bag with you, paper bags can do the same job with much less of the environmental impact. They can easily be the environmentally friendlier alternative. When we face this discussion on if we can and should ban plastic bags, we definitely can and should. Beyond that, we as America believe we are the best in the world, but are we really the best when countries such as India and China have already taken this monumental step while we are still tangled in our plastic bags?
Plastic bags serve as a major factor in contributing to climate, despite their seemingly small size. While plastic seems like it would make a small impact compared to the scale of the planet. In the pacific ocean their is a specific area of it that contain a couple million tons of plastic, polluting the water and destroying the ecosystems around it. By eliminating plastic bags, it is sure to make some sort of impact in the fight towards climate change. Plastic bags, as the author said, should only be used in necessary conditions like with raw meat or prescription drugs. As there are 7 billion people on the planet, each of them is a contributor to-in some way, shape, or form-subject to littering plastic. Plastic is so such a difficult resource to deal with because it is man made from different polymers, and takes thousands of years to decompose. The people on Earth need to get rid of the plastic waste that is day-by-day contributing to the warming and extinctions on our planet.
I believe that every store should get rid of single-use plastic bags. Instead, everyone should just get a permanent bag for any kind of store. In my family, we have three or four bags that we use when going to the grocery store, apposed to using single-use bags. This overall saves a lot of plastic, which benefits the environment a lot. If we all switched to using single-use bags, maybe trash wouldn’t be such a large problem in society today.
I’m not a big environmental person. We have an APES class here but I would never join it. I wouldn’t say I hate the environment but I’m just not interested in that area of science so I would rather take a different class such as biology. But even I believe that plastic bags should be banned. They are very harmful to the environment and to the animals who live on our planet. I work in a grocery store so I see on the daily all the bags used by customers to carry their groceries. I also see many bags just floating in the store and the parking lot throughout the day. People should become more considerate to what could happen to the animals around them and how they’re turning the world into their own personal trash can. Instead customers should substitute their groceries with the reusable bags or even paper bags.
Obviously the environmental benefits of going without the plastic bags is a great benefit to society and whether or not this transition will be beneficial for all people, it most definitely is an important transition”. This choice to go green may not result in economic benefits for stores because the effort is demanded of the consumer, but the long-term continue the healthiness of this planet and the environments which we live in day to day.
I don’t just think that the ban will motivate shoppers to bring their own bags; it will require them to be more considerate and bring their bags if they want to shop. My family uses reusable bags when we go shopping and it really doesn’t take much more effort or forward planning. The benefits of doing this extra task are two-fold because you reduce the environmental impact of the excess plastic and you get much stronger bags to hold the various items which you had just bought.
From my suburban perspective, there really shouldn’t be any sort of reason for an exception to the ban. We always bring many reusable bags when shopping. So if something shouldn’t touch another, use another reusable bag. With the meat, if you buy it fresh, then I guess it would make more sense to have a bag to maintain the freshness of the product, and potentially the same could be true with smaller fruits, but that is it. All others can be dealt with a reusable bag.
Banning plastic bags could be the first step to changing the environment. Plastic bags cause so much harm to the environment. For example, "They get blown around in the wind and caught in trees. They are very harmful to bird and sea creatures. Plastic bags get into the ocean and other bodies of water. An example of harm caused is the turtle population. Turtles will eat plastic bags and it will cause them to feel full when they are not, which kills them of starvation. Because I live in Florida, we are around a lot of water so plastic is more harmful here. Plastic bags should be banned here. Although they are convenient, the are more damaging than anything. Plastic bags also contribute to the pollution on land. They are everywhere and no one picks them up. This makes our cities look dirty and is bad for our environment. The banning of plastic bag will be a great progress to saving our planet.
I recently did a project about the impact of plastic bags on the environment and it honestly shocked me. It takes up to 400 years for plastic waste to degrade and millions of animals are killed by plastic every year. I think banning plastic bags is a step in the right direction. But eventually I think plastic should be banned altogether. Millions of pounds of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year. Many stores have taken the step to only use paper bags or not have any bags at all. I think banning plastic bags will force us to start being more conscious of the effects.
While banning plastic bags can have many positive environmental benefits, it would be most effective to take a less extreme approach. Moreover, I think a global goal should be eventually eradicating the use of plastic bags but the most effective solution would be to take a more gradual approach. For starters, I think that a customer should have to pay to use plastic bags. In country’s like Australia customers must pay a couple of extra cents for a plastic bag. This has led to the popularization of reusable bags. Another solution would be to have the plastic bags be made out of recyclable materials, have biodegradable bags, or use only paper bags like Trader Joe’s. I also believe the problem of plastic waste also falls in the hands of the consumers. As consumers we should be more aware and proactive about our carbon footprint. A total ban could have hash economic impacts and is unlikely to happen on a global scale.
I think that banning or getting rid of plastic bags is a major step towards our concern for our environment in that plastic bags do more harm to the wildlife than it helps. We always talk about climate change and letting plastic waste go, is a major reason to our ozone layer depleting. Stores should use paper bags that 1. carry more, and 2. safer for the environment when disposed of. Not to mention the fact these can also be reused.
I believe that the ban on plastic bags was completely legit. Plastic bags, as well as other plastic material is polluting our world in devastating ways.
However, I think that plastic bags should not be banned. Instead, I think that we should use plastic bags. Plastic bags can be vary useful to some people. One solution that my family does is bottle bricking. Bottle bricking is when you stuff non-biodegradable items into bottles. the bottles then become hard and brick-like. Finally, people use these bottles to build structures. Some are as big as houses. This is an easy way for people to use plastic bags without harming the environment.
Banning plastic bags could be a step in the right direction, but I don’t think everyone has thought of the effect by doing so. There’s no denying that the irresponsibility of the disposal of plastic bags has led to severe impacts on the ocean and wildlife. Plastic bags can be found just about anywhere, and it’s terrible to see turtles and seabirds dying because they mistake the bags as food. With all this said, we should heavily reconsider the ban of plastic bags.
First and foremost, a single plastic bag has the least environmental cost than any other type of bag. Ultimately, it comes down to how well the individual can reuse the bag. The environmental concerns don’t come from the production of plastic bags, but rather the disposal of them. Maybe instead of an all-out ban, we can practice and encourage better disposal techniques and set up incentives for those who reuse plastic bags. Remember, only one percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling; there’s a lot of room for improvement.
It’s also important to examine the economic impacts of this ban. In areas where this ban is enforced, sales were negatively impacted, and areas just outside the ban saw an increase in sales. A ban of plastic bags would lead to an increase in consumer costs and a decrease in economic activity. This might seem like my priorities are out of check, but I’m not saying the environment is less important than the economy; I’m simply pointing out some of the negative impacts of such a ban.
@Ryan Boaz I agree that there's no doubt that banning plastic bags could be helpful, but that there might be more benefits seen with stores encouraging customers and shoppers to recycle plastic bags. Until doing more research about how this works, I had no idea that most grocery stores have store drop offs for bags to be recycled. I'm sure that if this was better advertised that many people would be willing to participate in it. I also liked your idea of an incentive for people who bring reusable bags. I could see some grocery stores doing something where customers could earn a certain discount after shopping with reusable bags for a certain number of times. I think that there are a lot of options out there that can reduce the use of plastic bags before they have to be banned.
Plastic bags should 100% be banned in all groceries stores. They are unnecessary, unneeded, and do more harm than good. Stores like Aldi have never and will never use plastic bags, so why are other stores so attached to them? Trader Joe’s uses paper and gives you the opportunity to purchase reusable bags. They even hand them out for free on certain days. Every time you walk along beaches or forests, there are plastic bags tangled in trees or floating in water. At this point, it amazes me that we still use them. We can at least charge people for plastic bags. In Chicago, it’s 5 cents for a plastic bag, which seems little, but it adds up. Even if we ban them in the US, it won’t make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. We would need all countries to get on board to create global change.
Honestly, banning plastic bags everywhere seems to me like such an easy way to cut down on overall plastic waste, that it didn’t really make sense to me why it has taken so long to start getting states to implement a plastic bag ban. And honestly even after reading this article and seeing the views of people who oppose the ban, I still definitely think plastic bags should be banned everywhere. The only real complaint is from business owners who are worried this will cut down on profits, and while I understand this is their livelihood, I don’t think the convenience of customers should outweigh the health of our planet. There will still be paper bags available for a small fee, and I hope this will motivate more people to just buy a reusable bag to keep with them, and if shops really think this will be a problem, they could start selling reusable bags alongside produce. While banning plastic bags is certainly not enough of an effect on it’s own, it is certainly a step in the right direction!
As an environmentalist, I believe that the banning of plastic bags is an important transition to make, and a vital one to help our planet. Since 1950, global plastic production has increased from 2 million tons, to over 380 million tons. If we continue on this trend, humans will have produced 34 billion tons of plastic by 2050, outweighing the amount of people on our planet 100 times over. These statistics aren't made up. They're real, and very scary.
My family has been taking trips to France since I was very young. At the grocery stores in France, you don't see plastic bags, other than for vegetables and meat. Because of this, France only produces around 4.5 million tons of plastic. I know, that doesn't sound great, but compared to the 40 million tons of plastic waste that the United States produces, France isn't doing half bad. Europe also has the highest recycling rate of any continent, with a rate of 30%. The United States comes in far behind with a recycling rate of 9%. All of this plastic waste ends up in our oceans, or is fumigated up in the air harming all organisms alike. The increase of CO2 that comes from burning plastic is depleting our Ozone, and causing global temperatures to rise, ice caps to melt, and ocean waters to warm. Our planet is in crisis, and we must be doing everything we can to help it.
There are a lot of things our country, and world, need to do to help our planet. We can't do it all at once, but banning plastic bags is a great place to start.
Honestly, I’m surprised that this initiative didn’t take place a long time ago. My concept of time may be a bit off, but I feel like people have been discussing banning single use plastics such as plastic bags for a while now. I do agree with Ms. Kande that this is an “important transition” for New York to take and hopefully the rest of the states will follow suit. It is pretty common knowledge that plastic is not biodegradable. It is not friendly to the environment whatsoever, and it does not just disappear like people hope it does. The impacts of plastic bags specifically on the environment have been shown since I was a kid, and yet it doesn’t seem to be a topic of concern to most people. Sure if you questioned them about it specifically they would say that this is a problem, but the thought doesn’t even cross their mind when bagging their groceries the next day. I think the issue of plastic in our environment needs to become a topic of more concern and less normalized in our society like it has slowly become over the years. Our government intervening with bans on single use plastics will help open our eyes to the impacts many small tasks we do have on our planet.
I don't see any large downside to this ban which is why I wouldn't object if this law was enacted in other places. I don't think it will be too difficult to carry a bag to the supermarket to take everything you purchase home in; after all, an empty bag isn't much hassle to deal with. The point that people make that this will affect working-class people adversely isn't a legitimate one because the only difference, should this ban be enacted in other places, is having to carry an empty bag around, rather than collecting an empty bag at the supermarket. This is an acceptable amount of hassle in exchange for the greatly reduced pollution it will provide.
Although I see the environmental benefits of this ban, I can understand why people would oppose it. For example, my family takes plastic bags from the supermarket and will use them to pack things for when we travel, such as snacks and electronic devices. Although we could find replacement bags to carry these things, plastic bags are convenient and we've built up a stockpile of them over the years. If you lose one of these bags, it's not a big deal and they're quite convenient because of how you can wad them up and carry them on yourself without any issue. So, although I understand why there would be opposition to this ban, I think it is worth it due to how much pollution it will prevent and that most people will be able to easily adapt to the lifestyle change it forces.
@Sam McNamara I agree with you. The effect of this ban will be great for our country. The amount of plastic waste will go down a significant amount in the areas in which the ban will affect. My family also reuses plastic bags. We have a large collection of them under our sink at home and we frequently use them. While these bags are replaceable we like to use them to hold things like wet clothing or to use as a trash bag when we eat outside etc. They are good for usage of things that might ruin the bag.
I believe that a ban on plastic bags everywhere would be a wonderful idea! This first point could just be me complaining but I know others probably feel the same way. Individuals have to pay an additional ten cents per plastic bag that they purchase at some stores. I know many could say, "It's literally just ten cents." But with that being said your paying that small fee for material that's harmful to marine life because careless individuals don't dispose of them properly. In my opinion a reusable grocery tote bag is a great alternative to plastic bags. This is because they allow you to hold more items in your bag anyways and majority throw away their plastic bags after one use. If anyone noticed this extremely wasteful and I feel like more stores should push customers to purchase those tote bags as they come in handy! Plastic bags aren't only used for groceries though, they are also used for cleaning up after your animals. There are great alternatives for this as well the rake and pan combo! These are reusable,washable, (if you have hose) and very convenient. To conclude, plastic bags are harmful to the environment and are a huge contributor towards plastic pollution. But with that being said, there are several alternatives towards plastic bags depending on the situation you're using them for. It's up to us as a community to use those alternatives and eliminate plastic bag usage as a whole.
In this article the ban of plastic bags in New york was discussed and honestly I think that plastic bags should be banned everywhere, although there are things out there that are worse for our climate than plastic bags, they still have a huge environmental impact, and if we got rid of them everywhere it could potentially save us.
Every summer I Have been fortunate enough to go to Maui and visit my grandparents. I have been doing this since I was a little girl and it's truly a beautiful place. A couple years back they banned plastic bags, and everything has changed for the better because of it. Before the bag ban you would be driving down the street and you would see bags hanging off trees, and telephone polls, and flying down the street, there were bags everywhere. The thing is you didn't even realize how bad it was until it got better. We as a nation don't realize the severity of our filth and problems until they either become fixed or become so egregious that we can't deal with them anymore.
The use of plastic bags has obviously become out of hand. I have likely seem at least one plastic bag around my community every day, overall leading to damaging environmental issues. Personally, I like to think of it like this: If the plastic bags are floating around our community pointlessly, then it is pointless to distribute them in the first place. These bags clearly do not have any significant value except a one-time-use luxury, and if they are only harming our environment it is an awful idea to continuously produce them. One suggestion for communities is to provide a couple reusable bags to each household of your town. My town distributed garbage cans to each home, so I assume that they are capable of doing the same with reusable bags. If these bags are distributed to all, then no one has a valid excuse of needing a plastic one. Small changes like these can have outstanding benefits to our world and I believe a ban on plastic bags should be encouraged.
I must say that banning the use of plastic bags statewide and even possibly nationwide could have more of an impact on our environment, especially the oceans with all of the fish being caught unable to move, to the sea turtles swallowing them as they are mistaken for jellyfish, and cause the turtles to choke to death. I believe that instead of plastic bags or trash bags, we should use bags made out of a sort of fabric that can be reused over and over instead of a single time. It would only require the dumping of the contents within a container for the trash to be disposed of in a healthy manner. A friend of mine has one in his car ,and I find it to be quite useful when I need to discard some trash, and he doesn't need to change it out, he only needs to take the bag out and dump the contents into a dumpster. As this is happening, researchers can be working towards a fully decomposable plastic bag that can be distributed as regularly as the plastic bags that we use today.
I think that banning plastic bags is a very beneficial move. Where I live, it is very common to see plastic bags laying around outside everyday. I find this very discouraging because it shows that as a society we don’t care that we are destroying our environment. Whenever my family goes grocery shopping, we always bring reusable bags with us to put our groceries in. We do this to try to encourage others to reduce the amount of plastic bags they use, and to protect the environment. I understand that not using plastic bags can be very difficult and inconvenient for people in certain events, but there are many alternatives. Overall, I think that the ban of plastic bags will be very positive for the environment and it will enforce the habit of bringing your own bag when you go out. This ban will make people more aware of the damage they have done while using plastic bags, and it will make them want to be more environmentally friendly.
@Kaitlyn Conoscenti
I agree with your comment that it would be very beneficial for the Earths environment, especially our ocean to get rid of plastic bags. Just as you mentioned, my family and I always have reusable bags when we buy groceries, and we also have dishwasher safe plastic bags to use for food.
I think that the removal of plastic bags from society would benefit the environments health, but would it truly make a big impact? At first I believed that it wouldn't make a huge impact, because there are so many other forms of plastic that harm the environment, until I began to look into the subject. According to biologicaldiversity.org, 80% of ocean pollution is plastic from land, and 100,000 different types of marine life are anually killed by plastic bags. Seeturtles.org also states that about one trillion platic bags are used each year. So if we were to stop making plastic bags and ban their use, it would definitely change the enviroment and the amount of pollution that's harming it.
My mom is a marine scientist, so the subject regarding our ocean's health is close to home. I love that so many people are becoming involved in the subject, and just like you, are concerned about it and want to make a difference.
Stopping the use of single use plastic bags is a very important transition to make. Our environment is suffering because of the use of these bags, it might be a hard transition for some people but we need to do it. My family and I always use reusable bags, it is great for the environment and they can hold a lot more than plastic bags making them very practical. We keep them in our car so that even if we are out unexpectedly we will still have them. I do not think the ban should be selective, we either need to do this or not, I do not think it is a good idea to do it halfway. My family does use plastic bags in our house when we have them. I do not think the fact that some people use the bags for other things should influence the ban, the bags are still wasteful. Change needs to start somewhere, it will be hard but we can not stay the same.
I think that the plastic bag ban could be very beneficial. If my state were to ban plastic bags, I would definitely be more motivated to use my own reusable bags. My family gets paper bags from the grocery store, but I think that we would transition to reusable bags if a fee were placed on paper bags. I understand that this transition could be more difficult for some people, but I think this is ultimately a great choice for the environment. I think that the benefits of banning plastic bags outweighs the inconvenience it could possibly cause. I hope New York embracing this ban can cause more states to implement some restrictions or bans on plastic bags.
Plastic bags are a huge problem all around the world. This ban in New York could help prevent thousands of plastic bags from ending up in the ocean and landfills. Plastic bags hurt lots of animals daily or end up in landfills left for years to break down. I think that stores should encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping and give some to those that don't have them.
I agree with Ms. Kande, banning single-use plastic bags is an “important transition.” America uses 102 billion plastic bags annually. There is no place for the bags to go that won’t harm the environment. If they end up in a tree or the ocean, they’ll hurt the wildlife. If they end up in a landfill, they’ll pollute the soil. Saving the bags for reuse is a solution, but eventually, the collection will grow too large, and some will have to be discarded. The only benefit of plastic bags is convenience. We are destroying the Earth just so we don’t have to carry a reusable bag with us. It really isn’t that hard to start using reusable bags. My family usually drives to stores, so we keep a few reusable bags in the trunk of the car. The article made the point that most New Yorkers don’t have cars and buy things while walking or taking public transportation. But most people have something to carry their stuff in, like a backpack, messenger bag, or purse. Someone could fold a reusable bag, put it in their backpack, and then they would have one handy if they decided to go shopping.
I can recall many conversations I’ve had with people who believed that the only effects plastic bags had on the environment was that they killed off sea turtles. And they always say “The turtles have never done anything for me! Why should I care?” I know many people who would say that even as a joke.
Usually I’d say, paper bags all the way. I was going to write a entire comment about it, until I researched and realized that I was not as informed on the subject as I thought I was.
It turns out paper bags are also dangerous to the environment. Producing 70% more air pollution than it takes to make plastic bags, also they’re made out of paper, which means millions of trees are cut down per year to make these bags. Plastic bags aren’t biodegradable, and create more than twice as much solid waste, lasting for thousands of years.
Plastic bags are more reusable, my mother uses them often as trash bags, and they can be reused to carry basically anything, Whereas paper bags will often tear easily and not be that usable after one use.
Before I thought that, this wasn’t a question that even needed to be asked, paper bags are superior. Even looking at this I still think paper bags are better. I mean four times as much trash for thousands of years is absurd, especially when considering that many people don't even reuse their bags.
So I still believe that banning plastic bags is a good idea, but I can also see why some people think paper isn't the best replacement.
@Natalia Rivera I think the law is more about picking the lesser of two evils than eliminating all harm from the manufacturing of bags. Plastic is obviously the lesser of the two evils, whether trees are cut down or not. Let's face it, you never see a paper bag in pictures of trash littered beaches or mid ocean garbage patches but you definitely do see plastic.
For this law, I think the focus is on using reusable bags, not paper bags. Paper bags in this situation are a last option scenario, and that is why there is an additional fee on them. I believe that the fee will entice people to bring their own bags, not because the fee is so expensive, but because it will serve as a reminder.
As far as plastic bags being reusable, the law allows for plastic bags to be bought in bulk, such as trash bags, so those will still be available to use as many times as you would like.
Banning single-use plastic will help our environment out a lot, and it needs all the help it can get. Starting anywhere from establishments only handing out plastic straws when asked to entire states banning plastic bags in their businesses is enough to make a great impact. I think this is a good opportunity for shoppers to invest in their own reusable shopping bags. They come in all types of forms, such as ones that fold into little baggies to stick in your purse, ones that are on keychains, or simply ones that are full size to keep in your car or by your door that you can grab on your way out. They also have ones that are insulated which is useful if you’re buying cold items. My family has made the switch to reusable bags and we always keep them handy when we go shopping. Since I don’t have my own car to leave my reusable bags in, and many other people may face this struggle as well, the best option is to get one that folds into itself or one with a key chain. That way you always have one with you even in those impulse shopping moments.
I completely agree that we should get rid of plastic bags. The ban will definitely encourage many people to bring their own reusable bags. My family is from California and when we used to live there we would always bring our own reusable bags because it was widely encouraged to do so, and if you did get your groceries put in bags, the stores always tried to use the smallest amount of bags as possible. But once my family moved to North Carolina I noticed whenever we go to the grocery stores, the employees at the stores use a lot of bags. They will even use just one bag for one item.
This ban should happen though, no matter what. Although there are people that may not be able to carry around their own bags, they can still buy paper bags at the stores they shop at.
It's sad seeing garbage and plastic bags in a lot of cities and places you go to visit, that's another reason why we should ban plastic bags. Doing so will help restore beauty to those places. Lastly, the biggest reason why we should ban plastic bags is because lots of times they end up in the ocean and hurt marine wildlife or other types of animals. It's unacceptable that we know we cause this to happen and haven't stopped it sooner. Now is our time to finally ban plastic bags and do better for the environment.
The world is changing; not in a good way though. Our oceans and lakes are polluted each day constantly with garbage and plastic; harming the species that live there. However, New York along with a few other states have taken a step in the right direction by promoting the decrease of plastic bags. The state government has stepped in and enforced laws going against plastic bags which have“led to a 72 percent drop in plastic bag use”(Barnard), however there are some disadvantages. For example, now—in busy New York City-people are forced to carry around their own separate bags which many are very against. Although this is great at helping the environment, I think the local government has to do more to provide an alternative solution for businesses who are struggling due to the laws passed on plastic bags.
“Paper or plastic,” the cashier asks patiently before scanning the items. The customer hesitated before replying. This is often a common problem for consumers in America, whenever to use the convenience of one-use plastic bags or bringing your own bags to reduce waste.
The article references New York’s future bill that will limit an abundant amount of waste from plastic bags. It shows leadership taken by the states California and Oregon, toward a goal bringing other states like New York with them. Striving towards a chain reaction to follow after the initial move.
Reducing waste is like a set of dominoes, you must layout the pieces carefully without them falling and slightly placing your finger on one and give it a little push. Nothing too significant just a slight change that can lead to a big difference.
@Allison Coble
(Continued from above)
There is a quote that many children hear growing up, but is crucial because they are the ones that can make an impact. “A little goes a long way.” Maybe you just decide to bring your own bags one day, or possibly encourage a friend to, but what you are not aware of is that you yourself are making a difference. It might seem small but if you save 3 bags every week you go to the store then you are saving 156 bags a year and even furthermore 14,040 in a lifetime.
I am not asking you to go out and spend a whole lot of money on reusable bags, but I am more encouraging you to just think about your decision when the cashier asked you if you want paper or plastic.
I do believe that climate change is real, and our world is already knee deep into danger. Plastic bags have been one of the most contributing factors to global warming and climate change. I do agree with the idea of getting rid of plastic bags entirely, but there are some pros and cons to this life changing action. Some pros include: save the animals who are dying from the plastic that gets left in the ocean, or anywhere. Also, cutting out plastic bags will lower costs for grocery and department stores. The final pro is that there will be significantly less waste in our environment. The landfills won't be as littered with plastic bags floating around waiting to be trapped into a dying turtle's mouth. Some cons include: the convenience with grocery shopping and any type of shopping. Imagine getting all of your groceries and not having any bags to take your food home in all because you forgot your reusable bags. Also, some specific foods are convenient when placed in a plastic bag, such as raw meat and etc.
I personally think that cutting out plastic bags is a great idea, but there needs to be some regulations that come with it. I suggest that stores have "emergency" plastic bags that some shoppers can use if they forgot they're reusable bags, but it has one exception: you have to pay for every bag that you use- and the money that is profited must go to climate change/ to scientists to try and make a decomposable plastic bag.
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I 1000% believe that plastic bags should be banned. We can use other types of bags to carry just as much stuff if not more. All plastic bags are doing are killing animals and making it harder and harder to live on this planet.
The U.S. alone uses about 100 billion plastic bags a year. A year! In the article, it tells the success of California’s ban on the single use bags and how it contributed 72% in the drop of plastic bag use. Using plastic bags isn't the only part that hurts the environment. With the same number, 100 billion bags, it takes 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture those bags. If those numbers don't make you want to help out and make a change in how we are currently doing things as a country, then I don't know what will. Maybe when there’s more plastic in the ocean then there are fish, or that 1.1 millions seabirds and animals are being killed a year. Oh wait. That is our reality.
If each state were to ban plastic bag use, it would make a huge impact on the environment in a positive way. We do so much to hurt the environment, with deforestation, factory emissions, plastic use, etc. It’s time we finally do something to ensure our time on this Earth is long lasting, healthy, and not full of trash that we put here.
@Bella Steiner Overtime I constantly see more and more plastic bags everywhere. I makes me sad seeing those bags being blown in the wind, piling up into a heap of trash. Banning them is the best way to help the environment. I didn't actually realize how many bags there were and the cost of them being produced. That is insane. Plastic is of course filling the ocean but it is also corrupting the mainland. We can't let this happen much longer. Of course having each state ban plastic bags would be amazing, but we will still have to do more than that. Cleaning up the remaining trash will still be a big problem because plastic bags probably won't disappear entirely. The fact that we are even thinking about the environment is a good sign.
In my house I always have extra plastic bags. I continuously think about how bad it is for the economy but then i tell myself it's already been made what's gonna hurt if one person uses it. Plastic bags kill animals, aren't biodegradable, and there's about 5 trillion more bags made yearly. Every second 160,000 more bags are made. This causes so much pollution which leads to death. I do believe plastic bags should be banned. In the long run it isn't worth it, i would much rather use a paper bag that will actually degrade than something that remains toxic.
@Madalynn Larson
I agree that using so many plastic bags is not worth the risks and consequences we will face in the future if we stop now. Just like you, I have a bag full of plastic bags my mom gets from the grocery store. We also use them as trash bags in the bathrooms and bedrooms so we don't buy extra trash bags. Overtime my family has used more recyclable bags when we shop and it makes me notice how many other people use them too.
Every year an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags get thrown away. Many of these end up in our oceans and polluting our environments. If people were recycling more, then plastic bags would not be as big of an issue as they are right now. Of every 200 plastic bags that a person uses, they only recycle one. This means that over 98% of plastic bags that people use are being put into our environment, killing wildlife. So, to make a long expiration short, yes. We should 100% follow in New York's footsteps, and ban single use plastic bags every where. The world, and the ecosystems of the world will thank us when their homes are no longer being over crowded by jellyfish made up of plastic.
I do think that plastic is a big problem all over the world. Plastic kills lots of different animals because they think it is food. But I personally do not think they should get rid of plastic bags. If grocery stores get rid of the plastic bags we might start using more paper bags which will kill more trees. But if we get rid of them I think we should use reusable bags and not paper bags.
@Carson Coble I agree that we shouldn't rely on paper bags, because doing so would just become another problem for the environment, but we still should ban plastic bags. Thus we should start only using reusable bags, and this should be encouraged for everyone.
@Carson Coble I like your point about using paper bags. I think it's very important to make sure that as we abolished one issue we aren't raising another. Reusable or insulated bags are most likely the best option all around. I disagree with you when you say that plastic bags shouldn't be banned but I think that stores should charge people who do choose to continue to use them. Or we should create a form of bag that is, at least, biodegradable.
Plastic is a big issue in our society today. People should be doing all they can to help our environment to the best of their abilities. Taking actions like banning plastic bags as New York did is a great help out in the community. I think it is important for people to start transitioning over to paper bags or clothes bags of which are reusable and cut down on plastic bags. Stores all over the country should encourage customers to bring their own bags to cut down on plastic bag usage. This would help our environment and everything within it to be more clean and operable.
I think that transitioning from using one use plastic bags to not using them is important. One use plastic bags are very bad for the environment. They pollute our oceans and take up space in our landfills. They also take decades to decompose which also hurts our environment. I think that stores should definitely encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags when they go shopping. Stores should also provide free reusable bags to people who can’t afford them so that these people aren't forced to use the plastic ones.
@Matt Dougherty Free reusable bags are a great idea. Many people would argue that it would be too expensive for the company but they wouldn’t have to continuously give them out because once people get them the first time they can keep using them. There are a lot of stores that don’t even have bags like Aldi or Costco and Aldi has 89 cent reusable bags right at the register.
The ban will help lower the amount of plastic bags used in New York City. Shoppers will have to start bringing their own reusable bags unless the store provides them. My family uses reusable bags when we go grocery shopping, but if we happen to go and we didn’t bring bags, we will use plastic ones. It is essential to me that we get rid of all plastic bags. It will help the Earth so much and reduce the waste that is sitting in a landfill for years by a considerable amount. People will have to start bringing their own bags or buying reusable ones at a store, but if you look at the big picture, it is worth it.
Many may disagree, but I don’t think banning bags in New York is the best way to put our efforts in. There are bigger humanities problems besides pollution in the world, such as wars in the middle east or poverty in Africa and Asia. Pollution currently kills few humans per year, it mainly harms animals and the environment. At the rate of urbanization and growth the world is at, it is likely that by the time global warming truly becomes a huge problem and starts wiping out species or making places inhabitable, we will no longer have a need for wild areas or animals. Even if pollution and global warming is a big problem in the future, small steps like banning plastic bags won’t do much. It is a start, but slavery and racism took hundreds of years to end in the US and is still going on. Turning the fate of the world’s atmosphere and environment will likely take far more time and effort. There really are just too many problems people are facing to start taking baby steps to stop pollution. We need more action.
@Jason Zhang I am going to disagree with you on this one. While I do agree with you that wars and poverty are big problems we face in the world, pollution and things like plastic are huge problems that we need to face. The problem is that we do put all of our attention on things like war and pollution is looked at like it's not a big deal when it is. Pollution isn't just the emissions from factories, it’s car emissions, plastic, burning trash, making manufactured goods, shipping manufactured goods, etc. We have a lot we can cut back on because everything we do now affects us in the long run. It may not seem like a pressing problem now, but in a few years we will see the toll we've taken on the environment and health problems that will develop because we didn't try and cut back sooner.
I do think that this ban will encourage people to use reusable bags because there are some people who are not willing to pay a fee to use a bag and if a bag is not available to them they will have no choice but to reuse bags. It might be hard for some though because, from experience, there are times when I go to the store and I forget to bring my reusable bags and I have to walk out the store with my hands full of stuff but for the most part when I use a reusable it feels like I'm making a positive impact on the environment even though it is small.
I think that plastic bags should be baned because of how much harm it does to the environment and the animals that live in them. I use resusable bags and their much better than plastic. First of all, they can hold more, reusable tend to be bigger then plastic bags. Also, plastic bags break when you have heavy thing in them, reusable bags are more comfortable to hold and don't break as easily. The only thing that i use plastic bags for is my cats litter. But that would be an easy fix if we invented a bag that was decomposable.
I think the ban will motivate those shoppers that are determined to do something about our environment but for those who are not it’s probably going to take some time for them to adjust to the ban in plastic bags because they’re just don’t have the same mindset as other people. My family and I always carry a reusable bag with us everywhere we keep some in our purse, car, and even sometimes on a key chain. The pros about embracing this practice is we’re using less plastic and the con is that people keep forgetting their reusable bag and they just buy plastic bags especially if they have lots of items.
Plastic bags are a luxury that takes a devastating toll on our environment. While they do make our lives just a little bit easier, they consequently end those of the creatures with whom we share this earth. To ban the distribution of plastic bags would be a fantastic first step towards restoring our environment and would make cleaning up the mess that we have made of our planet much, much easier.
I think the plastic bag ban is a great way to save our animals and, essentially, our planet.
Plastic bags should be banned everywhere because they are extremely harmful to the environmnet and can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade. It isn't hard to convert to using paper or bringng your own reusable bag, and can even be more efficient. Plastic bags have become absolete and there a so many more effective substatutes that there should be no need for people to stay loyal to plastic. Because people are so true to plastic, the environment is being polluted, animals are dying, and we are breaking down our earth.
Plastic bags in my household are saved when Purchased. we use plastic bags are garbage bags , bags to give people things, and sometimes even to pick up the animals droppings. I believe that saving plastic bags is useful because when there isn’t bags left in California, you’ll have plenty saved.
I think people should have there own reusable bag so they won’t have the worry of buying bags at the store.
In my house we do reused plastic bags and we use them in a lot of different ways. We used plastic bags for trash bags because we have a lot of little trash bags in all of our rooms besides the kitchen so to not buy extra little bags we just use bags that we would already get from buying something else. Another way we use plastic bags is if (usually a girl) in my house needs to put their hair up to get in the shower, but they don’t have a shower cap they will use a plastic bag and that’s only some of the ways we use plastic bags. So, what i’m saying is that even thought plastic bags are bad if we use them in different better ways then we can use them for the better.
I do agree with this established law. Plastic bags have caused enough harm to the ocean, killing certain sealife. Polluting the air and cluttering waters driven by the wind. It's time there was a change. Hopefully this law promotes the change, the trash added in wastelands needs to be minimized. There are alternative methods of carrying items and groceries. Instead of paying 10 cents per bag, maybe consider bringing your own reusable bags to the store. We need to save our planet before it gets worse.
Plastic bags should be banned because not only does it affect animals but it makes our community look dirty. Me personally don’t use plastic bags cause I know how bad they are for the environment. It’s bad because you can’t really decompose of plastic.
I do like this law because it is a way to limit waste and contamination. It should be applied in places that are heavily populated like New York. But at my house my family reuse plastic bags so I would be annoying if they didn’t give them anymore and we would have to find a new way to carry out these actions, such as using it as a trash bags. I think to some degree they are helpful like for takeout food which can spill easily. When grocery shopping it is not necessary because you can bring your own bag, like Aldi. overall it will be helpful to the environment which is more important then household functions.
You might not see plastic bags on the road but there are bags in the ditches, in the bushes, at the bottom of the oceans. Plastic bags take a long time to biodegrade and there are many alternatives for it. Having a tax on plastic bags would show shoppers to start looking at the big picture instead of just living in their own bubble. Banning plastic bags would be a step in the right direction to protect our environment and our wildlife.
My family uses plastic bags just to carry groceries or as trash bags on road trips For most people, plastic bags are a one time use and then they go into landfills and stay there for thousands of years. Using reusable bags is cheaper and would decrease our ecological footprint. Hopefully, many other states follow New York’s lead in banning plastic bags and protecting our environment. As a country, we have to take small steps at a time to achieve a bigger goal. We can’t keep avoiding the problem at hand.
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@Priya Patel Banning plastic bags is a huge factor when it comes to protecting our environment and ensuring a better, cleaner, and safer future for our world. I agree that too often, people shopping get lazy and accept using plastic bags just because they are given the option to use them. If they weren’t given that option though, they would grow more consciously aware of their affects on the atmosphere, climate, and environment. You’re right, we can’t keep avoiding this problem and regarding it as minuscule-it’s so incredibly important to recognize it as a real issue, and one of the biggest issues our Earth is facing.
I also hope that other states will follow in New York’s footsteps and be more motivated to pursue banning plastic bags altogether. Doing so would benefit our environment, but it would also give us the chance to become more focused on how we can protect our world and surroundings for the better.
With the actual climatic changes that we face, I think we need take extremely decisions in order to repair, as much as we can, the damage that every day we do to the Earth. Plastic bags harms the environment and its use has produce many damages. The banned of plastic bags make us to reflects about our actions to the creation and how its produce consequences that we later have to deal with. However, for climatic changes, banned plastic bags is not sufficient.
Should Plastic Bags Be Banned Everywhere?
3 March 2020
I think, Plastic bags should banned everywhere, plastic bags pollute the land and the water. Because they are so lightweight, plastic bags can travel long distance by wind and water. I know it’s going to be hard for some of people, but we need to think how it affects the environment and how the climate is changing. If is going to be a good thing for our community it should be banned everywhere.
In nowadays, we can find another ways in which we can carrier our groceries, and be friendlier with the environment because plastic bags are just polluting the air that we breathe and that can affect our health and our planet. We should use more recycle and biodegradable bags for the daily use and implement the ban of the plastic bags everywhere, in this way we can take care of our planet.
Plastic bags should be banned is a fantastic idea for us. Because plastic bags are harmful for our environment. We are using plastic bags for many reasons like as for shopping, through the trash etc. We feel good we do not need to worry carrying a bag, but we never think about our environment, after using that, much bags where gone... we need to think. In Bangladesh government fifteen years early, banned the plastic bag everywhere, because they found after using most of plastic bags are going to the river, drain, and ocean, this is a harmful for growing fish and water living things. In addition, they found increased flood every year, and blowing bags harm for birds. Bangladesh people are using jute bags for their shopping, for garbage etc. I think we need to use a different kind of bags for our necessaries, which is not harmful to our environment.
The plastic bags should be banned everywhere because is bad for the animals and the people. I think is worse for animals like the turtles, because they think is a jellyfish and they tried to eat it and that is a big reason why they die every day. Is bad for humans too because that can destroy the environment. Plastic bags or bottle can take between 100 and 1.000 year to degrade and that can have a fatal result for the humans and animals.
The plastic bags should be banned everywhere because is bad for the animals and the people. I think is worse for animals like the turtles, because they think is a jellyfish and they tried to eat it and that is a big reason why they die every day. Is bad for humans too because that can destroy the environment. Plastic bags or bottle can take between 100 and 1.000 year to degrade and that can have a fatal result for the humans and animals.
It is difficult to adapt a new change specially, we have had a routine of going shopping and that they provide us with our plastic bag, but we know what it a very good project for our ecosystem. For long time it has been said that the most affected with plastic are animals since by some reason all reach the ocean. In my case it will be hard because the most time I am on the street I remember I need something for home and I just go and buy, I reuse the plastic bag for garbage, and put thing to wear something my son’s wet clothes when he has a swimming lessons. I know it will be hard, but I can do it. I need to organized and put some bags in my car to will be ready for buy food. It is a very good project I love it and I am so happy with this project because the ocean will have less plastic and those who live in the sea will be safer and more saved.
Nowadays plastic bags are already a big issue for the planet’s ecology and not only plastics bags, but everything that is made by plastic. Since I moved into New York, I realized that in the stores give us more than one bag always that we buy something. Sometimes I buy something that I should not need a bag to take it with me, and I think it is an issue. We are in a time where we have to think about our plant and act for it, such as, starting to banned the plastic bags in stores and bring ours. The global warming is actually happening and we have to take care about it, even if this little change like changing plastic bags for cloth bags become something challenging for us to implement. So let’s try to be innovated for our own safety and let’s make a change.
I think ban the plastic bags in New York is a good idea to reduce pollution. The plastics bags has always been a problem for the natural habitat of animals, even the companies make the plastic bags, they destroy the nature to get petroleum and make a lot thinks of plastic. The plastic is not biodegradable that means that one plastic bag can to last for one hundred to five hundred. In New York every store use plastic bags and most of these up in the sewers, in the street or trapped in the trees. We can take a different actions, use a recyclable cloth bags or use a paper bag. Change it is very sacrifices and it is going to take some time but this is important advance for then community and the planet.
Plastic bags should be banned because we need to protect our environment. While we are using plastic bag be need to know that is destroying our environment. Many people say it could be a problem because some people could not follow this law. But they need to know that in New York and the world need to recede plastic and garbage to have a better environment. Also, it could be a problem for the supermarket’s owner for example when their customers do not have their bags and they don’t want to obey the law. For me it the law is good it could teach us away how ourselves could do something good for our environment and have the responsibility to save it. Many people say they do not have habits to bring their own bags at the supermarket and they are against this law. People need to know, if we want a better environment we need to work on it.
I think that a ban on plastic bags is definitely a step in the right direction. Ms. Kande says that this is an “important transition” which I agree with because plastic bags are a big contributor to the waste humans create on a daily basis. This ban will motivate shoppers to skip the bag or bring their own bags. My family always tries to skip using a bag or bring a reusable one. When we can’t, we have a bin that we put our plastic bags in so that we can reuse them later.
Some people think that this ban will be hard on the working class, including people who walk or use public transportation. I don’t think that this will be as much of an issue as people might assume. Grocery stores around me have already switched to using primarily paper bags and setting up recycling stations outside the store for the convenience of the people.
Although plastic bags are used so frequently, making it difficult to get rid of them in many places, doing this will create good habits in consumers and reduce waste.
I believe that banning plastic bags is a great step towards protecting the environment and the creatures which suffer from our ignorance and disregard. Earth’s environment is suffering and by banning single use plastic bags we are helping prevent billions of more bags from killing animals and filing landfills, lakes and rivers. This will also aid individuals who do not understand the gravity of how disregarding plastic ruins or sickens the planet and kills innocent creatures. Albeit, some may believe that it's just a few plastic bags how much harm could it do, ‘I don't litter anyway.’ However, you have to think beyond yourself and look at your community or just people as a whole. For example, billions of people go to the supermarket every week and if even twenty percent of those people leave the store with a full cart that is billions of plastic bags ditched into the living world. Therefore, not only is this a fantastic idea put this is something that should be put into action if we will have any chance of reducing the damage done to the ecosystem.
Plastic bags have many purposes other than bagging groceries, taking out food, and other things of those sorts. Even though they are negatively impacting our environments, there is too many of them to be banned. Every other house you check would probably have plastic bags. They can be used as trash bags when you don't have any or they can be used as gloves to pick something up. Where I live, most grocery stores have already began the switch from plastic to paper. I believe plastic bags should be banned from being made, but people shouldn't stop using them at their homes because they're very convenient and useful.
Environment plays an important role in the healthy living of human beings that is why Humanity’s entire life support system depends on the well-being of all the environmental factors. Many behavior cause damage to the environment nowadays, such as not enough trees, the ozone layer and pollution with our plastic bags which is a big problem for itself and we going to put the light on. Should plastics bags be banned everywhere? The fact is, the less we use plastic bags the better it comes to us to protect our environment. Sometimes we will need to use plastic bags for a reason another bag will not allowed anyone to bring or to do things they want . it will be more reasonable if they reduce the number of them but be banned it everywhere will not good because even though plastic Bags is one of the biggest world issues but we need it .
In my opinion banning plastic bags is a great idea reducing use or banning them is best if it comes to care the environment. The material used to make these bags is really dangerous for nature and animal life. Another option are paper bags not as toxic as plastic bags however they disintegrate more easily and can be recycled and many manufactures use wood form renewable forest not the best option but help to reduce global pollution and the main idea is to try to preserve the environment and animal life they are always the most affected.
My parents and I generally shop at BJs and Costco. Both stores have carts, so we usually get one and put our groceries in there. When we arrive home, I carry as many groceries I can handle and for bigger/heavier amounts of groceries, my father gets a reusable bag, puts them in there, and carries the bag inside. When we are ordering takeout, the food gets carried in a plastic bag but we save the plastic bags for trash bags. In the end, getting rid of plastic bags is for the better because you would be saving countless sea animals and lifting the weight of the many landfills.
Plastic bags are harmful. We have known this for years and it's high time we get rid of them. There will still be paper bags for the impulse shopping or you can get super compact reusable bags. The only thing stopping us from getting rid of single use plastics is money.
Plastic bag should be banned because we need to protect our environment. Plastic bags are everywhere in our environment. When we go to purchase our groceries, we use plastic bags because they are convenient. In fact, in our modern lives, it has become part of us. However, the convenience of these plastic bags come at a very high cost to the environment and negatively affects human health. And it turns out that certain kinds of reusable bags have a massive environmental footprint, too. Paper is not a great choice either, especially if you’re going to throw it out after a single use. These plastics cost a lot of money because the final costs account for the total production costs from their manufacture using petroleum to when they will be thrown away. Through banning plastic bags, the people will learn to support local workers together with green industries.
In my household we do reuse plastic bags. We use them for our individual garbages, and we reuse them for when we go grocery shopping. Have our own reusable bags are really helpful and also if you have your own you don’t have to pay that extra 10 cents for more.
I think reusable bags are a great idea, and banning plastic bags should’ve happened a long time ago, but better late than never. I hope society can really make a change and make our ecosystem better for our planet.
I think that forbidding plastic bad is good for the environment. Plastic bag are not degraded which it means that plastic bags are not 100% dissolved and a lot of fishes dead because of that. Indeed, it could a problematics topic for plenty merchants because it is easier for them to give plastic bags to their costumer and also plastic bags are cheaper than paper bags. This a problematic topic because not everyone care about the environment. In addition, plastic bags are very helpful and dangerous at the same time. In my house when we go to the store we do not throw the plastic bags on the garbage, we reuse it at home. There I’m glad that there are people that help the ocean and the environment.
This is a step in the right direction. Especially since New York is such a popular and dense city for tourist and everyday people, taking plastic bags out the picture you can’t go wrong with that. More cities need take on this plastic bag ban because earth is our home and banning plastic bags helps out the environment and our wild life. Reusable bags are much safer are always to our expense. Without the ban or plastic bags, pollution would increase and our oceans will still increase with trash inside them killing/harming marine animals.
Baning bags from the store will make people bring there own bags because it could be a pain to have to spend that extra money that you may or may not have
@Tec Nathan Banning all bags would be a great idea. Because if stores get rid of plastic bags and start to use paper that could be bad for the trees.
Plastic bags should start being cycled out. We don’t need them because we have other ways to carry groceries and plastic bags are just polluting the environment while we still use them. I think we should use paper bags because they’re biodegradable and recyclable. If the option of plastic bags were taken away, people wouldn’t be able to pollute the environment with them and there’d be a forced positive environmental impact.
My mom sometimes uses reusable bags, and in the long run they’re cheaper than paying a fee to use plastic or paper bags, but some people don’t have that immediate money. Some people don’t want to buy reusable bags and have to carry them everywhere if they make a spur of the moment decision to buy groceries, as the article stated. People can’t just buy new reusable bags every time they don’t bring their own either, and having a fee on paper bags, no matter how small, will just make them angry. That’s what spurred the Boston Tea Party, in fact. Not that that'll be the exact response, but still. I think if they do implement the ban on plastic bags everywhere, they shouldn’t implement the fee on paper bags because they're still a better option. Change takes time, and if all these reforms start happening at once, eventually they'll just fall apart.
@Elliot Wells
I think this is a great response to a very important question. I’m surprised about how you decided to go about answering it though, with the connection to the Boston Tea Party. I think that is a great example and serves as the reasoning as to why we should do something about this issue. My family also uses reusable bags for neighborhood grocery shopping because we try to stay as eco-friendly as possible, and that is one way to do so. I would argue that even though we may get rid of plastic bags, there will always be people advocating for them because of their effectiveness and how they are so cheap. I would argue that even though we may get rid of plastic bags, there will always be people advocating for them because of their effectiveness and how they are so cheap. While I wish everyone was as environmentally oriented as I am, that is just not the reality and so it will take a lot more to overcome this problem. I totally agree with your concluding sentence about how change takes time, and we just have to start the process in order to see the results later.
I think eliminate plastic bags in New York City is a good star to take care our environment. The plastic bags were create to make a facility to carrier ours stuff but at the same time we are creating a big problem to our planet. This law has more positive effect than negative. Many people don’t like this prohibition but I think is very easy to adapt to use reusable bags. I disagree with paid just 5 cent for one plastic bags because I think many people prefer to paid that amount and continue using plastic bags. On the other hand, if the price of the plastic bag were 1 dollar each I think the people definitely don’t continue to use it.
I think banned plastic bags can be a big challenge for people, but is one of the most important changes in order to stop the global warm. I agree in some parts of the article like the impact that this change can bring for the economy of people who sale in the train stations, but everything is about custom. The global warming is a big problem that all of the people have nowadays, just take a look of this winter, it wasn’t cold. Human beings most of the time pollute everything. We can start with small changes, take your garbage, you don’t have to take someone else garbage but you must take your garbage until you can found where you should put that. About the plastic bags it is logical that many people are going to fell affected because we are custom to use plastic bags, and we use in many things. For me it is difficult because I use plastic bags al last one or two times per day but we can found other things to carry. I know and I completely understand that for many people that is annoying but in order to take care pf the place that we live its better made a small sacrifice.
I am working in an organic supermarket where the most of our customer prefer to keep the health not only for them even for the environment and all the natures. Every time they come to buy products and produces. They bring their own reused bags and shopping car to avoid a lot of garbage from his house. The same way a see people who does not care the waste or garbage that them can produce. There are people who just is looking to make more money and in magical way maintenance in good health. This law is the best because everything is around of the nature. I remember 20 years ago in my country; we used to use reed baskets and canvas bags. If we did not have it, we could to pay 5 cents to carry our foods. The using of plastic bags were few but now no one reuses the bags. I see many wastes in many things of plastic, paper, and cloths. We need to learn the culture of the refused.
The decision of eliminated that the bags be free be a good decision because when the bag is free the people do not mind wasting and throw in the street, ocean, sea, etc. the people are not aware for the damage it cause for the environment and the animal. Many animal died for years because they search food and think that the bag is food and died stuck the animal more weak are birds, turtle and fish. I think this law should be made in all world. The people must become aware that if we continue like this we will continue to damage our environment and destroy the life of animals and ours with so much pollution. It is reason because there are very diseases. The people have destroyed the planet so much that every day the climate change is more terrible and unbeatable. It is time to make a change and start to have more awareness for the care of our new earth.
I agree with the idea of banning plastic bags in New York City. In the past, my family is used to save the plastic bags for trash after we go to the market. Plastic bags can even be said to be daily necessities in my family. However, plastic bags are harmful to the environment because plastic bags cannot recycle and it has chemicals. The good way due to the plastic bags pollution that is people can prepare reusable bags when they go to groceries, such as canvas bags. Moreover, stores can also supply paper bags for costumers which easier to recycle and does not cause pollution in the environment as they can be decomposed over time.
Banning plastic bags is a step in the right direction. For so long I have heard all of the negative things that plastic bags are causing, but I never really saw anyone making an effort to change anything. For the past couple of years my mom has been using reusable bags when she goes shopping, but it is more reassuring when you know that there are other people making an effort because then it actually feels like you are making a difference.
I think that more states should follow New York’s lead, to make this a large movement. Sure, it is going to be unorganized and a little chaotic to start, but the impact that it is going to make on the environment makes up for it. It’s time for us to set our priorities straight and start caring more about what we can do to make this world a better place. Saying that we, Americans, don’t have time to revamp our habits is purely disappointing. Just as Sylvie Kande says, everyone is going to have to make sacrifices, but this is an important transition that we will be grateful for making, later on.
A plastic bag is harmful to the environment. It takes more years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Unfortunately, the bags don’t break down completely but instead photo-degrade, which absorbs toxins and continues to pollute the environment. Up to 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution enters the ocean from land. According to waste management, only 1 percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling, which means that the average family only recycles 15 bags in a year. The rest end up in landfills or as litter. For saving the environment, ocean, it is the right time to banned everywhere. My opinion is, instead of a plastic bag people can try to use a jute bag. Jute products help in decreasing the environmental pollution.
I’m really happy about this important transition in New York, I know is really hard to adapt but is necessary for our environment because the effect of using single plastic is negative for oceans, animals, and for new generations of humans. A couple of months ago I try to make my transition to stop using single plastic and I was really surprised about there are many options to be free of plastic and now it is my goal and mission less waste in my life. It takes time to adapted and sometimes your feel frustrated because everything is packet with plastic but all the effort you make is for a good cause. I know many people don’t agree with this decision but we need to make sacrifices and adopt new habits in our lives and in the future we can see the results of these measures.
I think is a good idea to banning the plastic bag in New York and everywhere. However, I used plastic bag because I don’t have to take any reusable bag with me on my way to the grocery store. My family always save plastic bag for the garbage after they came from the store. Although, some other people throw it on the streets after the buy something in the stores so, this plastic bags are flying in the streets. This is bad for the surrenders, most of the time people don’t notice the plastic bags end in the ocean and affect the ocean animals. Usually, plastic bags are not a good idea to carry heavy stuff because is easier to break. Lastly, now people have to think about the quality is better than easy and this can help other especially the animals.
A think good idea the no use the plastic bags because the people do not have to culture about the recycle and do not know how affect the environment, many people do not have conscience that this is died the planet. I am agreement with new law about not use the plastic bags in the stores. The people can to use other option of how carry your things that buy. These help to the life of the animal in the sea, many animal died by this, much plastic garbage in the ocean harms the life of the aquatic animals and too environment contamination. We can to help to save the planet. Everything depends us on.
Plastic bags, in my opinion, are very harmful to the environment and I think they should be banned. Because that way we would recycle to improve the environment. There are many recycling companies that can strive to recycle plastics, glass and paper, cardboard and metal. Not having plastic bags helps all people to realize that the environment is deteriorating, most animals are the most affected because they are unprotected. Plastic bags are difficult to recycle and most of them end up in the trash. Every time we use plastic bags, we continue to pollute the planet due to the unnecessary use of plastic bags, etc. The best thing we can do is use the cloth balls because they are re-use.
I think plastic bags should be banned because affect the environment and animals. Plastic bags can last years to degrade also get caught in trees thus demanding birds, some animals can eat these bag and that can be fatal for them especially marine animals. We should to help our world and help less animals die or become extinct. Buying reusable bags is the solution since we can help the planet and there is no need to discard so many bags polluting our surroundings.
The earth passed the year are been dying for many reasons where the most responsible for the damage are the humans beings for many different type of reason and I think a way where we can help improve the environment is eliminating plastic bags. I think is a good idea that everybody bring their bags when they have to do their grocery because one of the reasons that the United States passed that law is because many animals are dying, in the ocean animals are eating the bags that people are throwing and is killing them. Most of the people think that the government is crazy because is too late to save the word because it is already destroy but in my opinion is still hope. In other hand can be a problem most with the people that don’t understand the problem that the earth is facing and also humans like thing easy but At least if people used less plastic bag will be a big different in the environment because a small different can have a big impact.
In my opinion I think it is really important to want to care for the Earth because after all it is our home. To me it does not make sense that we are slowly hurting our own home. The idea of getting rid of plastic bags really excites me for our future, because it is one step closer to improving the environment. I personally believe getting rid of plastic bags is a great idea, however it may be inconvenient or more expensive for some. If people forget to bring their own reusable bag then they might have to pay extra to get an environmentally safe bag. I think that if more people start to bring reusable bags to shop that there should be some sort of reward. For example, if you bring your own reusable bag into the store for a certain amount of times then they should get points that they could use to get a percentage off of their products bought or a certain item for free. This way more people will enjoy bringing reusable bags and will make that their priority when going shopping. Thus, it is beneficial to ban plastic bags for our environment.
Reusable bags are great for the environment because, they don’t cost money every time you buy something, people don’t usually just throw them and leave them laying around everywhere, and they are always more convenient. My parents always tried to teach me to use reusable bags because you don’t have to waste your money buying plastic bags that eventually turn into garbage, plastic bags aren’t preferred by most people because they are bad
I think that the ban on plastic bags is a great idea. We know that plastic is terrible for the environment, yet we do basically nothing to fix the problem. The ban would be a step in the right direction. Personally, I think there is no real point in using plastic bags when there are reusable bags. According to the article, some people argue that this would be harder for the working class and people who spontaneously decide to buy things at the store. Why not just carry the reusable bag with you? Getting used to the ban might take a while, but once it has been in place for some time, it would become second nature to bring a reusable bag with you every time you go out. Charging a few cents per plastic bag would further discourage people from essentially harming the environment. If we really care about saving the environment, taking action to help the environment should not be considered so much of a hassle.
I’d be lying if I said that my family didn’t use plastic grocery bags but at the same time we also use reusable bags. Usually my parents keep reusable grocery bags in their cars so just in case they run to the store they won’t have to bring home anymore bags. We do try to reuse and keep our plastic bags but it would be impossible to keep every single one. I think the act of using plastic should become a thing of the past and more eco friendly, reusable materials should be utilized. Plastics and styrofoam have been the default for cheap, single use goods for too long and the effects of this are starting to be felt. Plastics and styrofoam don’t decompose like other things, meaning our landfills and environment are being plunged with these expendables.
I believe that banning plastic bags is a great idea. Although it will be annoying and hard to get used to at first, banning plastic bags will better the environment. So many plastic bags are used all the time while using a reusable bag excels consumer’s needs. With reusable bags you need less of them compared to plastic bags, meaning less trips to the car to bring in groceries. Reusable bags are also stronger and more durable so you don’t have to worry about heavy items breaking through. My family and I use reusable bags when grocery shopping all the time, we also keep a reusable bag in the car just incase we ever need it. I will say that I do still use plastic bags and they can be convenient when you go shopping unexpectedly or to use as a garbage bag for road trips. However if we eliminate plastic bags it will become apart of our daily lives to use reusable bags and we will understand that they aren’t a big hassle as they appear to be.
Plastic bags, in my opinion, are very harmful to the environment and I believe that they should be banned. There are many alternatives to plastic bags as well that are much better for our environment. Whenever my family goes grocery shopping—whether it’s me or my parents—we always opt to go with paper bags, which are biodegradable and much safer to use, or that’s what I’ve heard. Additionally, my family stores the paper bags after we use them because they can be multipurpose objects. I also know there are bags that people can use forever, that they bring to the store themselves. Plastic bags also are much more harmful to animals, as plastic bags are found in the oceans and habitats of many sea animals, which can kill them. Many people do not understand that the global warming/climate change problem is much more imminent that we thought, and using plastic bags is only adding to the problem.
With all of the talk surrounding global warming and such, I am very surprised that plastic bags have not been banned already. Paper bags are a lot more energy intensive compared to plastic, so plastic is a lot easier to obtain and use compared to paper. The shift has already started in multiple states, but I think the federal government should make a law that bans them. Another issue coming along with this is plastic straws, and I see a lot of restaurants in my community shifting to the use of paper straws because they are much more environmentally friendly. The United States has acknowledged the plastic problem, and it’s great that we are finally doing something about it. Reusable bags would be the best option as there is no waste after shopping, but even a shift to paper should be viable. Doing this will limit our impact on the environment and better the planet.
Using plastic bag is something my family has alway done. When we get groceries we use plastic bags, but after unloading our groceries we keep all of the bags. We use them for trash and we will take them with us to reuse again. My mother has recently started using reusable bags and it makes us feel like we are contributing to this plastic bag epidemic. Studies show that after six months after California voters approved proposition 67, there was and significant decrease in plastic bag usage. 86% of transactions, customers brought their own bag and didn’t use a paper or reusable plastic bag.
I think that banning plastic bags will help New York in a very beneficial way. Considering the fact that New York is polluted with plastic bags every corner you turn, this ban will help them for the better. Yes some people are going to be unhappy with this because they just want to get their items and go. But this is where reusable bags come into play. You don’t need plastic bags if you have reusable bags. For example, reusable bags will be more reliable than plastic ones. They are less likely to rip or break while carrying items. And the most important part... you can use them more than once! What do you do when you get finished grocery shopping? You take the groceries out and you’re stuck with all these left over bags. At that point you either collect them or throw them away. They’re just wasted space. I think this ban should occur in all 50 states because it will help the environment in the United States tremendously. Getting everybody to use reusable bags and stop the use of plastic bags altogether will help the States become cleaner. Because with all this use of plastic bags half the people that use them don’t even throw them away. They always seem to be polluting oceans and airways. Animals run into this problem constantly, there are so many plastic bags in the ocean that animals die from them. Plastic bags get stuck in gutters, trees and are all around are no good for the environment. It’s best if they are just banned altogether. It will help the environment heal.
Me and my family use bags on a daily basis, and I don’t think that we should get charged 10 cents for a bag. Especially here in California where I feel like everything is overpriced. But I agree bags should be banned and we should only use paper bags I feel like it is less harmful to the environment, they could be recycled, and it doesn’t have any chemicals like plastic bags.
There are many pros and cons to having plastic bage easily available to everyone, but I think that the bags should have to be either purchased, or banned, even for the working class. I say this because there are alternatives for those who are in need of it, like bringing your own bag stored before shopping, or keeping a backpack, etc. It's good to stop the distribution of these bags due to them being proven to cause pollution and impact the environment negatively, but it's not going to be easy to slow down the availability of these bags right away. So, as of now, a small fine for a bag is ideal until we can take further action.
When it comes to using plastic and knowing the negative impact it has on our marine creatures and environmental safety, one would think we could utilize different resources to aid in this issue. I believe plastic bags should be banned in every state simply because of the way citizens dispose of them. Living in the state of California where we are now charged for our bags at local grocery stores and supermarkets, you still see plastic bags being thrown out on streets, in grass areas, and maybe even in local water streams. I personally think putting a price on the bags we use has motivated some to just bring their own reusable bags when shopping, but there are still many who refuse to properly dispose of these bags which causes negative effects on the planet. Plastic bags are not the problem the way I view this matter, I think what truly causes the initial destruction is the people of the U.S not responsibly caring for or respecting nature. Until we as a collective can learn to truly define what environmental health and safety is and how we can truly contribute to fixing it, we cannot look forward to a healthy planet in our future.
I believe that plastic bags should be banned everywhere. It is harmful for our environment, animals, and oceans. So many plastic goes into our oceans that some animals consume and plastic bags are the worst of them. They can suffocate animals, get stuck to birds and land animals, and even destroy their nest. My family and I have a tendency to forget to bring reusable bags so we always try to get paper bags from stores if we can. I also think it is very important to start bringing reusable bags and teaching our children to use reusable bags before we destroy this earth for our kids. Reusing plastic bags is understandable, my family and I reuse them as trash bags for little trash cans around our house which is very convenient, but at the end of the day when they get thrown out, they’ll still end up in oceans and lands to harm animals and our environment. Therefore, using plastic bags must be banned everywhere to keep from harming earth and the wonderful creatures in it.
With there being a mass the size of Texas made of plastic in the middle of our ocean there is clearly a problem at our hands. The solution of eliminating single use plastic bags is a great start. If I walk outside whether to school or downtown there is a high chance you see a plastic bag somehow in a tree, stuck in a bunch or skimming along the road. If we were to ban plastic bags it would solve some of our plastic problems. It would definitely reduce our use of plastic and help us move on to other solution. With this ban people would have to adapt, by either buying reusable bags or using the paper bags some stores would provide. It should be seen as a necessity to reduce our wastefulness of plastics and banning plastic bags is a great first step.
Last year, I went to the United Kingdom for a week where they charge a 5 cent fee on all plastic bags. Within a week, my family was remembering to always bring a reusable bag whenever we left our house, not because the charge was terribly expensive, but because it served as a reminder. In the article, they mentioned that single-use paper bags will still be an option but have a small fee in some places. When you go grocery shopping, if you plan out your bagging well, you really shouldn't be using more than 5 bags unless you are buying an ungodly amount of food. That's a 25 cent charge. That's nothing in the grand scheme of things. The people who are saying this will harm business are just wrong and make a big deal out of not a big issue.
It is a shame that pollution and the environment have become such politically polarizing issues. We will never see a similar ban in states like Kentucky with a heavily Republican government. This is truly a shame because I think plastic bag bans are a really good first step towards no longer using single-use plastic. I think that as a country, we need to come together and be willing to make sacrifices for future generations and our Earth, not just in blue states, but in red states too. The environmental crisis won't wait for us, so we need to make an active effort to catch up with it and stop it while we still can.
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@Cooper Hyldahl I think you are right, we need to make an effort to catch up to and stop the environmental crisis before it becomes uncontrollable. The act of banning plastic bags might need a period of getting used to, but in the end, it is beneficial for the environment while also being something that society can actually accomplish.
A worry is for those people who impromptu shop and did not prepare reusable bags. In your example, this issue is solved by stores offering bags for a few cents, which is perfectly reasonable.
Using reusable bags is something that my family has always done. Any plastic bags we do get at the store we use as trash bags throughout our house, or bring back to whichever store that lets you recycle them. Nearly every day I see those grocery bags in the street, and I wish that people would be more cautious of how they get rid of them. Doing as little as charging 7 cents a bag is something that will make people think about how many they really want to use. As soon as spending unnecessary money is put into peoples minds they immediately do not want to spend it. I personally like using reusable bags, it makes me feel as if I am doing my small part in helping the environment.
Plastic bags have been destroying our environment for so long that it is a normal sight. If you were walking down the street and saw a plastic bag, would you think much of it? Most likely, no. We have gotten so used to it that it is now something that is just there, something not meant to be noticed. The expression “Don’t make your presence known, make your absence felt” could be applied here. Our world is changing because of us, and not in a good way. Taking away plastic bags could, and should, make a difference to our environment; One that will help. Many people may find it troublesome to carry all of their belongings without plastic bags, so they can bring reusable bags, which is great for our planet Earth. But there are still a few people who sometimes go shopping without planning ahead. A solution to this dilemma would be the store selling reusable bags near the checkout lane, so the customer can simply buy the bag and place things in it. And for the places with fees for each bag are also helping the environment, just not as direct as New York and other places. Why is there even a question as to whether or not other places should ban plastic bags? If you are confused as to what to do, just put a fee on each bag. However, I do believe that leaders should think this out if they think they need to, it’s just precious time is being wasted.
I have a neutral feeling as to what we should do with plastic bags. I know that plastic bags can be harmful to the environment, especially when people throw them away carelessly. I think that people should start to charge for plastic bags in grocery stores, as they have done in Washington. That way, when people do need plastic bags for carrying things, they can still do that and might remind them that this store charges for bags and will bring their reusable bags next time. My family shops at Aldi, where they charge 10 cents for a plastic bag that is big and strong enough so you only need one or two for your groceries. Ever since we knew that we have to pay for bags, we started bringing our own bags whenever we go there.
The money people used to buy plastic bags in stores can also go into funding for the EPA or other organizations that can help the environment. In my family, after we finish shopping and there are many plastic bags, we keep them in a place and use them as trash bags or reuse them to carry other things around. I know that many people use their plastic bags and then just throw them away, and that is wasteful. There are many other ways to reuse plastic bags, and we should start doing that.
My parents and I generally shop at BJs and Costco. Both stores have carts, so we usually get one and put our groceries in there. When we arrive home, I carry as many groceries I can handle and for bigger/heavier amounts of groceries, my father gets a reusable bag, puts them in there, and carries the bag inside. When we are ordering takeout, the food gets carried in a plastic bag but we save the plastic bags for trash bags. In the end, getting rid of plastic bags is for the better because you would be saving countless sea animals and lifting the weight of the many landfills. I agree with Ms. Kande that no longer using single-use plastic bags is an important transition to when a people could use plastic bags to make better things that don’t have to be plastic. I would hope that the plastic bag ban in New York impacts neighboring states because it is for the better, no matter how useful it the infamous plastic bag may be.
I find the ban of plastic bags a beneficial move. I’m so sick of seeing plastic bags floating 30 feet above me and stuck in trees that are meant to enhance the city appearance and help the environment. Whenever my family goes grocery shopping, we try to bring reusable bags. Of course, sometimes we do not have a bag handy, since we did not expect to buy anything. Then we might take a plastic bag. But an alternative that I think we should take is buying another reusable bag-- we will use it eventually. People who don’t agree with this should get used to it.r Right now, we routinely take advantage of using plastic bags without considering negative effects, but soon it will become a habit to reflect on the harm plastic has on our planet. I think that some of the exceptions are silly, as you can still carry takeout, newspapers, and prescription drugs without a plastic bag. I think that adding tax for a plastic bag is an improvement, but that the ban is taking it a whole step further, and we need that extra step if we really want to see a difference.
In my opinion plastic bags should be completely banned. An option is for the shoppers to bring their own bags but to the people who can’t afford it there can be optional paper bags. However, if the shoppers get paper bags they should bring them the next time they go to the store and either reuse them or recycle them at the entrance to the store. This way, not as many trees are cut down. The only cons of this situation is that more trees are being cut down, but that is still less harmful than plastic. Also, if we reuse and/or recycle we could save trees and not use plastic! Plastic bags really harm the Earth and there are no conveniences for the Earth if we keep using plastic.
I’ve heard that many people reuse plastic bags at home, but we could do the same with paper bags. People can still live without the plastic bags, like nobody’s going to die if they don’t have them plastic bags in their kitchen or whatever they reuse them for.
I think we should ban plastic bags, or at least have stores only sell cloth bags. This way, if people don’t bring their own bags, then they'll be forced to hold their items or buy a cloth bag. If the stores don’t like this idea, then they could also charge the customers to pay like 5 cents per bag. Banning plastic bags would help the environment a lot, especially because of all the pollution now.
I think that people should be charged to use plastic bags everywhere they shop. I have noticed that when people have to pay for something that is usually free are cheaper they are hesitant to purchase it. Just like with water. People tend to waste water a lot. When water prices rise, people tend to use it more sparingly and they start to notice how valuable it actually is. At a grocery store called Save A Lot they charge somewhere around five cents for each bag. At that store you notice people only using three bags compared to the usual ten bags at Acme. And you see more people using tote bags. At acme people also double up on their bags as well. Here you notice that people put it all into one bag. And it makes such a difference because I never see Save A Lot bags just flying around. Not as much as I would see Acme or Shoprite bags.
I support this ban on plastic bags, but I see how it could be troublesome for businesses as the change is very sudden. However the long-term positive effects seem to outweigh the negative. There is now an incentive for customers to bring their own reusable bags and people will be more cautious of their consumption. Especially now, we need to start being more aware of the negative effects small things like plastic bags can have on our environment. I believe more cities should impose some sort of law like this. My family brings a reusable carrier when grocery shopping and we try to reuse plastic bags around the house as much as possible. Sometimes we’ll use them as garbage bags for small trash cans we have or for carrying small items whenever going places. I don’t think this ban should be selectively enforced because no matter what class, I think we should all be making an effort to help save the environment. You can bring a reusable bag that costs at most $5 or even reuse a plastic bag you have laying around.
I do think that plastic bags should be banned. My family is pretty good at reusing bags. We try to bring reusable bags to the store, and when we don’t, we always keep the plastic bags to use for the garbage later. There is no reason not to ban plastic bags. It isn’t that hard to buy a couple of reusable bags to use for groceries. We need to stop hurting the environment. Even if we take small steps to help the environment, they add up and we could really make an impact on pollution.
My family reuses plastic bags. We have a big bag full of plastic bags that we use for different things. Although they are useful, I think banning plastic bags would be a big help to the environment. I think it would be better if we used reusable bags. I have noticed that at the Disney store near me they don’t give out plastic bags anymore, and they ask you if you want to purchase a reusable one. I also noticed that at Urban Outfitters they give out reusable bags. In my opinion, I like reusable bags more because they look nicer and they even help the environment!
I think that this move is important for New York and that it can and will have a huge impact on the environment. I understand that New York wants people to move towards reusable bags, but the 5 cent fee for paper bags seems a little unnecessary considering that paper takes much less time to break down than plastic (and it actually biodegrades, it doesn’t just break into smaller pieces).
I think that the ban is forcing shoppers to start using reusable bags which is good for the environment. I think that this is a great push for people and the environment as well. My parents use reusable bags often whenever they go to the grocery store but sometimes they use plastic bags from the grocery store. In some other countries, they have biodegradable plastic which is good for the environment because that plastic can break down quicker. I go to Italy for the summer and whenever my parents go to the grocery store they always get those bags because we don’t have to worry about them polluting the earth. The process of replacing plastic bags is a good practice because it can help lower the pollution and it is positive for the environment. 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year and billions of those are turned to litter. This cut down on plastic bags would lower that number. A con of this replacement process however, is the fact that many people don’t tend to use reusable bags, so people may not start doing this. In total, I think that this plan to cut down plastic bag usage is a great chance for our environment, and it is one step closer to saving the planet from pollution.
I fully agree with Ms, Kande on the fact that no longer using single-plastic bags is an important transition. Plastic bags are extremely harmful to the environment and takes up to 1000 years to decompose. Stopping the use of plastic bags is important to our transition because it's one of the first few steps we'll take to help, not hurt our environment and it's species. The ban will definitely motivate shoppers to bring reusable bags to stores and if it's enforced then mostly everyone will follow. My family uses reusable bags, the pros are that it's healthy for the environment instead of plastic bags, where it's harmful. The cons are usually the durability of the bag, and poor people have to buy it with limited resources. The plastic bag ban should begin to start everywhere, when a place can handle it. For example, poor places shouldn’t have a plastic bag ban because they have other issues to sort out.
I think the New York ban on plastic bags is a great start for our country, however, it is concerning me how little else is being done. We should not only have plastic bags banned in New York but in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, California, and every other state. And, we should not only be banning plastic bags but plastic utensils, wrappers, and water bottles. Carbon emissions should be dramatically reduced and we should stop mistreating our forests. Soon, we won't be able to reverse the changes in our climate and the Earth will be slowly destroyed. This should be our politicians’ main issue and we should all be much more worried than we currently are.
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@Lily Sussman I agree with you. Plastic straws and utensils are not essential objects and we can always work around using them.
I know someone who is giving up plastic this Lent season. Because of this, she was unable to buy milk and strawberries for her family. I think that most people would think that this is a little bit extreme, but imagine if everyone took a step like this to protect the environment. You don't necessarily have to "give up", but you can "give in." Like, organize a cleanup day in your neighborhood, or pay more attention on your way to school and pick up a piece of litter. You might be surprised how much trash there is, and this plastic bag ban is a good start to reducing the amount of plastic we consume.
Ever since I was little, my mom has always used reusable cloth bags when we would go out places or food shopping. I've grown up knowing how important it is to use your own bags, but that it's okay if you don't have enough bags and you need to use a plastic bag. I think this ban will be very positive and will enforce the habit of bringing your own bag when you go out. It will reduce the amount of plastic bags that people throw out by a lot and will be overall more environmentally friendly. I understand why working class people have a problem with it, but it really isn't that difficult. It shouldn't be so hard to roll up a cloth bag in your purse or backpack before you leave. This ban will make people a lot more aware of the impact they make by using plastic bags and that once they get into a routine of doing this that it won't be that hard.
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@Jayden Vance I really agree with you and I believe that people are just too lazy now.
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I do agree with Ms. Kande on a ban of plastic bags being an important transition because plastic bags damage the environment, and hurt animals. If we cut down on our usage of plastic bags we could have better ecosystems and keep important species alive.
@Iris McLeary I fully agree with you about the plastic bag use in our country. If people are more conscientious about their plastic bag usage, and plastic bags were banned, this would put a major increase in the environmental diversity of our ecosystems, promoting growth, and diversity every where, especially oceans. Where wildlife will no longer ave to worry about accidentally eating a plastic drink holder instead of a jellyfish.
I think that many people will purchase reusable bags because many people will not be able to go shopping for food and other necessary items. My family reuses bags to bring lunches on school trips but now my mom bought about 10 reusable bags so because the plastic bags couldn't get recycled. the pros of the reusable bags are that it is healthy for the environment and you don't have to collect a whole bunch of plastic bags. Cons are that you might not have enough reusable bags for all of the groceries and they eventually wear out and you have to buy a new one. I don't think it will be more of a struggle for people who don't have a car or use public transportation because most reusable bags are larger than plastic bags so you can carry more.
I think that all plastic bags should be banned. If a national ban was enforced, it would motivate shoppers to bring their own bags and eventually, it would become a habit and no plastic bags would be needed again. My family tries to use as plastic bags as little as possible. We sometimes bring our own reusable bags and we ask for paper bags at supermarkets and we reuse plastic bags all the time. Overall, I think that plastic bags should be banned everywhere because the pros would outweigh the cons in my opinion.
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@Emi G. To an extent, I agree with your point. Banning plastic bags would help the environment by reducing litter and marine waste and by reducing the amount of petroleum-based bags made. This seems much more effective than skipping the straw. I also see some cons to this movement, though.
For instance, I went to DC for a few days with a group of ten other women. We had to go grocery shopping when we arrived so we could have enough food at the house we were staying at, so we walked to the store about 3 blocks away. If we had not been allowed to use plastic bags (there was a tax on them), it would have been hard to take those groceries back home, especially since packing reusable grocery bags was not at the top of our limited packing list.
Another point was briefly mentioned in the article: this will hurt poorer people more than everyone else. It is not exactly a priority for a homeless person to buy their own grocery bags with their limited resources, plus the plastic ones are more durable to the elements (especially water/moisture) than the paper ones. They tend to reuse these bags. Even my own family (not homeless) reuses our plastic grocery bags as trashcan bags, dog waste bags, and bags used for containing things that could leak or be dirty when packing for a trip.
Helping the environment is something we all need to individually work on, and skipping the bag is a potential way to do this. So I think banning the bags is a good idea but should maybe have some exceptions.
I think we should at first start leaning towards using reusable bags etc before cutting them out completely, but i do think it really belt the environment if we start cutting down on plastic.
I think the plastic bag ban will definitely motivate shoppers to bring their own bags to stores, knowing that if they don’t they will probably have to pay for bags or just not have a bag to carry your groceries in. My family always uses reusable bags when we go shopping, usually the cloth kind. We keep an easily accessible pile of them at home, so we don’t forget to bring them. I don’t really think the ban will be a burden to the working class people. The reusable bags are relatively light, so people can just always have a bag in their pocket at all times. My family, when we do get plastic bags, put them in a basket to be used again. We usually use the plastic bags we save as smaller trash bags, and sometimes for transporting food from home. Overall, I think the bag is a good idea. I am so annoyed at seeing plastic bags everywhere, tangled up in trees and floating through the air, so I think the ban would definitely help the environment.
I think we should be conserving our environment over our own comfort. When I ride the bus home from school I see all of this litter and plastic bags in the marshes. It is sad to see this so close to my home and a little ashamed if I’m being honest, in my town. And our town isn’t the dirtiest city in the world, there are others so polluted with plastic and other waste that the wildlife are choking on it. We should just use reusable bags, they’re sturdy, bigger, and aren’t single use (obviously).
I think this new law in New York is a great way to help out the environment. As of the trends right now I think we need to take serious actions on plastic. I hate to see all these pictures about animals suffering in their own homes because of our plastic consumption. I think it wouldn't do the wonders for the world but it would necessarily help out with the problem.
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I think we should at least start leaning towards cutting down on plastic bag usage. I think cutting down on plastic bag emissions would be much more effective than cutting down on plastic straws, because there is definitely more plastic in a bag than in straw. Additionally, plastic bags are just as effective as a paper bag, except the paper bag can be recycled, unlike plastic. I think we aren’t really going to fully stop using plastic, as many things in your everyday life such as pens or the outside of wires are made of plastic, but I do think we can stop using plastic for certain substances, such as plastic bags.
I personally think that this new law in New York was a smart thing to do. Plastic has been a major environmental issue for so long, and I honestly don’t think we need the bags in stores. Reusable bags have become pretty popular to use at grocery stores, and are easy to find seeing as most stores sell their own, usually at the checkout. Another alternative that is stated in the article is paper bags. They are pretty common too, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be easy for stores to switch to only using them. They are just as sturdy as plastic bags, maybe even more. For the working class people, I think reusable bags would be the best for them, even better than plastic, which can be flimsy. It’s definitely a sacrifice, but looking at how it could help the environment makes it important.
Growing up, my mom was always obsessed with how to help the environment. We were supposed to know what to recycle and what not to, and if she saw recyclable items thrown in the trash, she would let us know that we were wrong. She kept paper and plastic bags from grocery stores, used the plastic bags around the house, and brought the paper bags back to the stores whenever she went to get groceries next. Her actions have definitely made me more aware of how to help the environment, from knowing when to recycle to bringing reusable water bottles to school.
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I think that having plastic bags ban from stores important because it's pointless and dumb because some plastic bags rip or they don't hold as much of stuff as reusable/cloth bags not only that but that plastic bags end up where ever whenever and however but also for those plastic bags to be charged for something to break in just minutes seconds or only for one-time use.
I don’t think that plastic bags should be banned completely, but I do think that they should not be used for everything. I definitely think that stores could replace plastic bags with paper bags. Also Paper bags are nicer than plastic bags. I know that it takes about 5000 years for plastic tobiodesinigrate and turn into soil. That is a very long time. So overall, I think that they should be used but sparingly, only when they need to be used.
I stand by the plastic bag tax. For those that don't know, the plastic bag tax, is pretty much an effort that says people have to pay an extra amount of money if they wish to receive a plastic bag. It seems like a very good concept, that should be effective in decreasing the usage of single use plastic, and encouraging people to use recyclable, or reusable options that are also available. By having people pay an extra sum of money for their plastic bags, it is not only encouraging people to bring their own reusable bags, but creating awareness to the problem known as marine pollution. The plastic bag tax also seems like a compromise between keeping plastic bag laws the same, and completely banning plastic bags. While I do believe that using reusable plastic, and saving oceanic life is important , a complete ban on plastic bags just does not seem like a reasonable goal to reach.
@Valeria I agree that just banning plastic bags from people does not seem realistic at all, seeing as it may be a hard transition for some. You’re right that the tax seems like a compromise between the divided opinions on this issue. If people have to pay money for plastic bags, they might as well just reuse them or buy their own reusable bags for future store trips, which would still decrease plastic use by a great amount.
I think that the ban will force shoppers to bring their own bags because something that is banned and you will get in trouble doing is not motivation, it’s more so forcing them to do it so they can obey the laws. Me and my mom had bought reusable bags but some of them broke so we don’t use them as often as we used to. Some of the pros I noticed from using the bags are that it’s easier to bring in groceries because there is less to carry and shopping is faster. The cons are that every time you go shopping you have to remember to bring them and they are also pretty expensive. But other than those they’re a great investment.
I think the plastic bag ban could be good for the environment. You can't tell me that you haven’t seen at least one trash bag flying around every day. If we just used plastic bags less often, it would help with the pollution problem. I think the ban would motivate shoppers to bring reusable bags because they would have nothing else to carry their stuff in.
I do not think that the plastic bag ban in the state of New York will cause more shoppers to bring reusable bags. When people are stuck up in their own ways and can be hard for them to start doing something completely that they may or may not agree with. I think that when people are told they can’t have or do something it makes them want to do it that much more. An example of this in history is prohibition, where for a period of time no alcohol could be sold or drunk in the US. I may be wrong about plastic bags, but I don’t think this new law will be able to stand the test of time.
@Ryan Altschuler
You make a compelling argument as to why New Yorkers will not abide by the new paper bag rule—that, when told not to do something, most people will want to do that something even more. In this case, when told not to use paper bags, New Yorkers will ignore the law. Although I agree with the relevance of this argument to Prohibition in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, I believe that the current political climate’s focus on environmentalism renders this argument invalid. Unlike the problems that prompted Prohibition, environmental issues will continue to become more prevalent and serious as time goes on. For this reason, many people have already begun to take measures to lessen their environmental footprints. My mom, for example, uses compostable garbage bags and reuses plastic bags. I would hope that, like my mom, New Yorkers also care about the future of the planet enough to abide by the law restricting the use of plastic bags. The debate about the implementation of these types of political measures has raised an important question: if political actions are not taken, what can be done to reduce the country’s environmental footprint?
I do reuse plastic bags. We never throw them out, we just keep them in a cloth bag that hands off the doorknob in my kitchen. I understand banning plastic bags, but charging money for people that still want to use them? At that point, I’ll just start bringing my own bag. Why would my parents want to spend more money on PLASTIC BAGS when they already spend way more on valuable things we need to live? In conclusion, I don’t mind the plastic bag ban.
I get that Ms. Kande thinks it is an important transition, but there are people who need plastic bags to adapt to the way they are living. I believe the ban will motivate some people to bring their own bags, but I think people will still use plastic bags because that’s how they live. My family uses plastic bags and reusable bags. One example is how my aunt takes a re-usable bag to a store and then puts the plastic bags in the reusable bag. Then, she unpacks and uses the plastic bags for trash bags in some rooms. The ban may help people who take public transportation because instead of having multiple bags, they could maybe just have 1 or 2, depending on how they shop. Therefore, I think the ban on plastic bags is a good and a bad thing.
I think the ban on all plastic bags would be great so the world and people's health and fate could get better. Even though some super markets are making the change of making people buy plastic bags for an extra 10 cents or just giving up on plastic bags which I think they should do for a big change in the world. Then if they ban plastic bags then people can now bring in reusable bags and use those every time they go to the store to purchase many items. And the fact that plastic bags aren't even as strong as the reusable bags you can have forever. So I think they should get banned least in some states that use them the most.
@Nathaniel Waters
I think that it would be great for people to start using reusable bags instead of plastic bags. I agree that this change could be very beneficial for the environment. I hope that more states will follow New York’s lead and put restrictions on single use plastic bags.
I think that plastic bags should be banned because they aren’t safe for the environment, and there are alternatives for them, so I think that people should use those alternatives, instead of hurting the environment. There are already so many plastic bags that end up in rivers and oceans, and there shouldn’t be any more of it. It is creating a lot of pollution, and it is killing many innocent animals. I think that we aren’t doing enough to protect our environment. People do talk about doing this or that, or changing things, but I think the problem is that they aren’t taking action to do something about it, which is why I think that plastic bags should be banned. It is a good step to protecting our environment. Plastic bags in my house are reused sometimes. For example, when we go shopping, we get the least amount of bags we need, and then, we don’t just throw them away. Instead, we use them to clean up after our dog after he does his business. So, I feel like my family and I are doing a little to help the environment, but I definitely want to do something more to help it. I feel like the ban would help, and it should be enforced in other places as well.
I think that it is probably a good idea to ban plastic bags because of the amount of pollution that they cause but no one is addressing the air pollution lately which is one of the main factors that lead to climate change. Plastic bags are not the best thing because they are single use plastics that are used all over the world. But banning them will just be an inconvenience for people who don’t have cars because they have to nonstop hold their stuff and that gets very annoying. I do agree that we should get rid of them but we should do it gradually for example we start putting a tax on them or you have to pay money for each plastic bag that you use. Places like whole foods and aldi have already eliminated plastic bags. I think that we should not use plastic bags.
My old school was a very environmental school. We focused lots on how plastic tends to hurt the environment more and more every year-killing bits and pieces of our world every day. Animals confuse themselves with food and plastic and more likely than not, they eat the plastic since there is so much around the world today. Studies show that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea, and this is why our earth and our animals are dying. My parents have always taught me to try and not use plastic bags as much as possible. I have learned to speak up and state that I don’t need a bag if it’s plastic in times of necessary. We try to bring more than enough reusable bags when we shop just to be on the safe side that we have enough. Whenever we do get plastic bags though-because you can’t always avoid it-we do reuse them and try and keep them out of the trash can for as long as possible. People think throwing trash away is a good thing, but really we should avoid it if possible because of all the trash that ends up in landfills every year, and hurts and stinks up our earth every year. I feel like this is a big topic and problem that has been striking the world for many years, and people really need to take into account what plastic bags may do in future years.
Don't you just love plastic bags, over 500 billion pounds of them being littered every year? Don't you just admire the fact that over 8 million pounds of plastic bags end up in the ocean? The fact that 100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic bag entanglement? All for what? So you can carry things easier? Well, that shouldn't be true. plastic bags have been the cause of many deaths, and even though there are alternatives like paper bags, tote bags, and more. This is why I condemn the use of plastic bags, but yet I still find myself using them from time to time. That is why I think a ban on plastic bags in the places we live will do us good, and nature as well.
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In my opinion, to a heavy extent I do agree that a transition from plastic bags is imminent and needed. Though, I do believe that they should still hold a place in the usage spectrum. This would be as my family commonly uses plastic bags that we got from groceries as trash bags. Therefore, they are recycled in a way, but I do think that the amount of plastic bags should be lowered (still keeping them for small instances). A way of doing this could be by simplifying amounts and thus rendering them obsolete. Provide a suitable and easy to use substitute and people will slowly shift to the more dominant option. Ultimately, solving a major portion of the problem while still not fulling dismantling the idea of plastic bags.
To be honest I’m not sure where I stand on this. Now I know some people will get mad at me for being indecisive about this but I’m really not sure. Now before everyone gets mad at me for not picking a side just stop and think, this ban just like everything else in the world has its ups and downs. An upside is that we’re helping the environment and that we are reducing how much plastic we use. A downside is that say you forgot to bring your reusable bag to the store with you and you didn’t notice, you then bought what you needed then after that you realized and didn’t have the money to buy another bag. I’m not sure about other families but my family resuses plastic bags for other things like if I need to carry a few books or if I forget my lunchbox they will give me a small plastic bag. If we couldn’t get plastic bags anymore we would have to spend more money buying more reusable bags.
In the article, the author mentions that many people use plastic bags because they reuse them at home for various purposes. I am one of those people and so are my family and friends. We can make good use of these and use them for other good purposes. These bags do not all go to waste. To elaborate, I mostly use plastic bags for trash so I can put the trash in them. I then take out the trash in the good sized bags. Also, whenever I have a trip, I use these bags to pack my lunch, as lunch boxes are not allowed. Plastic bags have other causes and those causes come in handy to me.
My family does not use plastic bags that often but we still use them. Whenever we buy something at a store and we get a plastic bag, we keep them in a place in our house. If someone wants to empty their trash can in their room or bathroom they use the plastic bags that we save. We also use big plastic trash bags for our kitchen garbage. When we go grocery shopping, which is always at wholefoods, we bring backpacks and then walk home. Wholefoods and some other stores give you back five cents for each bag you bring. I think the best way to enforce using less plastic bags is to give money back for bringing reusable bags, and to have plastic bags cost money to use.
I 100 percent disagree with the statement made by Ms. Kande to no longer use single-use plastic bags. People in our world today are really hooked up on the fact that the plastic era is hurting the world. Yes to extent it may be but there is nothing wrong with plastic bags, I just do not see it. Going full anti-plastic is a little weird because it is not horrible. It is not just plastic bags, it is much more. People are buying metal water bottles, and metal straws, when there is no point to it. Plastic is more reusable than people think. People keep plastic bags in their home for more use. For example we need a bag for our trash can so whenever the can gets filled, we take it out and put a new plastic bag in. Other people such as myself keep filling up plastic water bottles and keep them in our refrigerator to keep fresh water. Yes plastic may get caught in our oceans and hurt our marine life, but this can be stopped. If people use their plastic resources wisely then less and less garbage will be caught in our oceans. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong at all with using plastic bags, plastic bottles, and plastic straws.
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@Christopher Misko, We are not talking about trash bags Chris, plastic is not that reusable, your statement is a statement against marine life dying and litter in the street. Let me ask you, Chris, how many times do you see a plastic bag flying through the air in the city we both live in? How many times have you heard about the thousands of animals being strangled each year by plastic bags alone? It's not like you can use a plastic bag your whole life, plastic is meant for a single-use, that is why so much of it ends up in landfills. Chris, if everybody thought the way you did, marine life would be gone and litter would increase tremendously. That is why I completely disagree with your statement.
My family uses both plastic bags and reusable bags. My family uses plastic bags to cover trash cans, and also to supply me with a lunchbox when I forget mine at home. I think that a transition is important. We can’t keep using plastic bags, at least at the rate we are going at. I think this ban is good because it still allows some bags to be used, but primary uses for bags are gone. They are still there, but just in a lesser quantity.
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I think if we’re talking about the fate and health of the world then it would make sense that we would give up all plastic bags. Of course some people would complain, but it really is a much easier switch than it might seem. You simply have to use a different type of bag to go shopping, it's not that difficult. It really just comes down to single use plastic and convenience.
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I believe that plastic bags should be banned because it would stop pollution. Plastic bags are everywhere, only some plastic bags are being recycled around the whole world while the rest is either discarded or incinerated. Some plastic bags end up in the ocean and the animals in the ocean will end up eating up the plastic bags and will die because of the bags either going down their throat or end up suffocating themselves with a bag around their head. The amount of plastic bags being used is ridiculous.
I believe that plastic bags should be banned as well due to the fact that wherever you live wherever you go, there is a plastic bag being dragged by the wind through the streets.You can find a plastic bag almost anywhere, in trees, parks, and etc. Plastic bags, among cigarette butts, are the most littered things on earth! Reusable shopping bags have so many benefits, such as ; they don't tear as easily and you can use them several times.Not to mention ,you can now live with the satisfaction that your plastic bag won't end up in the ocean or buried somewhere underground. Plastic bags litter our streets, oceans, and parks.Should we really just accept the fact that by using plastic bags , we are killing and littering our streets?Based on my evidence, plastic bags should really be reconsidered.
I believe that plastic should be banned everywhere. Plastic is everywhere, only some plastic are being recycled while the rest is either discarded in the ocean or incinerated. We have been using plastic bags for few decades and we need to change our lifestyle by using reusable shopping bags. There is always plastic bags flying around as wind blow them. Plastic are ended up in the ocean harming marine animals as well as bird. It can upset the food chain which can cause even more animals to get hurts or death. Banning plastic bags can allow us to change our lifestyle. Every time we went clothes shopping we ended up with either plastic bag or paper bag but if we went to places like Walmart we get single use plastic plastic and use them as trash bag.
The amount of plastic bags we use on a daily basis is ridiculous. We all know that our environment is degrading. We all know about all the marine animals and birds being harmed by our ignorant usage. We all know about the heavily polluted environment we are living in. We breathe in the polluted air and walk on the littered ground. But, most of us don’t seem to care. Most of us don’t do anything about it.
Banning plastic bags forces us to do something about it, and that is apparently what we need since we are incapable of making the change ourselves. We have reusable bags, and they are relatively cheap. The plastic bags we do get at grocery stores can also be reused rather than just thrown about. There are many ways to attack this issue, and it only takes a small effort by a lot of people to overcome it. New York is absolutely right in their ban of plastic bags, and it's a good thing that they are trying to lead a change in our country. Other countries have already banned them or put a tax on them, and it’s time we follow suit.
@Shivani Patel The law holds everyone accountable, and it puts other major cities or states in the United States on the hot seat. When will it be their turn to step up, and prevent our climate crisis from growing even stronger. New York is only the third city to instill this ban, and I personally find that ridiculous. I think the next major legislation to combat our climate crisis should be to for plastic bag usage to be banned nationwide, and for reusable bags to become the norm in American, and eventually world society.
As the article states, this transition from plastic to reusable bags could be on the same level as ending smoking in bars. However, I find it to be even bigger than that, based on how much of a problem climate change really is. It holds us responsible for the fate of our environment, and we should attack this challenge head-on. I hope this is the start of a revolution against climate change, and that as you said, we follow suit on other countries who are attacking climate change. This is a step in the right direction for making our world a better place for generations to come.
Working to improve the environment’s condition is like working to improve yourself. Whenever I have attempted to change any aspect of my life, I have always started off by changing small things. Over time, as more and more small changes are made about yourself, you find yourself accomplishing your goal whether it be something like striving to eat healthier, exercising more, or being more productive. Similarly, I believe this is how problems with pollution should be combatted. Through banning plastic bags, New Yorkers are just changing a small thing about their daily lives to strive for a cleaner world. If this momentum keeps going, more small changes will be implemented in society for the better to make a big impact. The rest of the country should follow in New York’s footsteps with minimizing plastic bag usage since at the end of the day, bringing a reusable bag is not difficult.
I think that ALL plastic bags should be banned It would help the environment as a plus and STOP pollution
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I think the ban will motivate shoppers to bring their own bags to stores because a lot of people already have reusable bags at their homes but they probably don't use them as often. My grandmother likes to use reusable bags when she goes to pantry like the bags are much better to hold heavier objects.
The pros of embracing this practice are that single-use bags won't be used as often now and reusable bags will become the norm. I don't really see any cons of embracing this practice.
I get what some people are trying to say as personally I do see a lot of people in my area taking public transportation, riding bikes, and even walking to and from grocery stores and the mall. These people are typically in their fifties and maybe a few are younger than that.
My family does reuse plastic bags in my house. I use them as a small trash bag in my room so then I don't have to keep walking out of my room when I have trash. This lets me have one entire bag to throw out collectively.