Badly needed. >.<
LaMB blogging contest entry #3
Lamination is considered a form of recycling by the Central Administration Bureau of Cerra (CABC). If you worked for the CABC, what other policies would you implement to help preserve the environment?
The first thing that crossed my mind is the plastic bag thingy. Yes, the plastic bag we all know – the one which holds our items on our way home. It is indeed a functional modern convenience that we seem to be unable to do without. But on the other hand, they are also responsible for causing disadavantages and damages on our environment. In fact, plastic bags cause pollution, in some instances – it kills our wildlife, and its using up the precious resources of the earth.
Everyday millions of plastic bags are being used by a country. There are 195 countries across the globe. Seems hard to think the number of plastic bags being used everyday.
What’s frightening about this is that plastic bag exhibits many disadvantages and the horrible and daunting fact now is that it starts dominating our world, our life, our home. Whew. Sighs.
Here are some (meaning: there are many more) of the harmful effects of plastic bags:
Plastic bags litter the landscape. Once they are used, most plastic bags go into landfill, or rubbish tips. Each year more and more plastic bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and streets. And, if they are burned, they infuse the air with toxic fumes.
Plastic bags kill animals. About 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.
Plastic bags are non-biodegradable. And one of the worst environmental effects of plastic bags is that they are non-biodegradable. The decomposition of plastic bags takes about 1000 years.
Petroleum is required to produce plastic bags. As it is, petroleum products are diminishing and getting more expensive by the day, since we have been using this non-renewable resource increasingly. Petroleum is vital for our modern way of life. It is necessary for our energy requirements – for our factories, transport, heating, lighting, and so on. Without viable alternative sources of energy yet on the horizon, if the supply of petroleum were to be turned off, it would lead to practically the whole world grinding to a halt. Surely, this precious resource should not be wasted on producing plastic bags, should it?
Whew. Seems really shocking and frightening.
So, given the chance to work for the CABC, I would really suggest to ban the usage of plastic bags across the world. It kills us passively. We should be aware of its negative side.
We can Use this bag!
credits to: http://missylovely.com/blog/?m=200703&paged=2
As an alternative, we can use bags that are made from other materials different from that of plastic bags’.
But even if I’m not working for CABC, I will strive hard and use my best to implement the plastic bag ban. Good Luck to me! ^_^
facts taken from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/environmental-pollution-the-harmful-effects-of-plastic-bags.html
January 3, 2009 at 11:08 pm
It is not true that all plastic bags are non-bidegradable. Ordinary plastic and recycled plastic can now be made oxo-biodegradable.
This is done by including d2w additive which makes it degrade, then biodegrade, on land or at sea, in the light or the dark, in heat or cold, in whatever timescale is required, leaving NO fragments NO methane and NO harmful residues. Oxo-bio can be tested according to American Standard 6954, and is made from a by-product of oil refining which used to be wasted, so nobody is importing extra oil to make it.
There is little or no additional cost, it can be recycled and it is certified safe for food contact. For general info see http://www.biodeg.org If all plastic were oxo-biodegradable there would be no North Pacific Garbage Patch.
“Compostable” plastics made from crops, are up to 400% more expensive, many of them are not strong enough for use in high-speed machinery, and they emit methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in landfill. Also, it is wrong to use land, water and fertilisers to grow crops for bioplastics and biofuels, which drives up the cost of food for the poorest people. See eg The Guardian newspaper (UK) 26th April 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/26/waste.pollution?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
Compostable plastic makes sense only if there are industrial composting facilities to receive it in sufficient quantity. Also, as it is expensive to separate compostable plastics from other plastics, many industrial composters do not want plastic of any kind in their feedstock.
Home composting of plastic packaging should not be encouraged, as it is often contaminated with meat, fish, or poultry residues, and temperatures may not rise high enough to kill the pathogens.
Compostable plastics will damage the recycling process if they get into in a normal plastic recycling waste stream
They are not really “renewable” either. Just consider the hydrocarbons burned by machines which clear the land, plough the land, make the fertilisers and pesticides, transport them to the farm, sow the seeds, spray the crops, etc etc.
The same applies to growing cotton or jute to make durable bags. These rapidly become unhygienic if a tomato is squashed or milk is spilled, and become a durable form of litter, but they can be made from washable oxo-bio plastic to last up to 5 years.
Oxo-bio plastics degrade in the upper layers of a landfill, so they will take up less space, but they are completely inert deeper in the landfill in the absence of oxygen. They do not emit methane at any stage.
Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce, they are bulky and heavy and are not strong enough. They will also emit methane in landfill
January 4, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Oh..that’s good. but we still don’t have that kind of plastic bags. however, my post pertains to the ones which are widespread – the ones which are causing damages to our environment.
Regarding my term – ‘Plastic bags are non-biodegradable’ – it’s collective. The non-biodegradable plastic bag still dominates the degradable ones.
But I’m not against your product. IN fact, that’s a good idea – a very good one. ^_^