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Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Joe Corsiglia, President Trump, Henry Heimuller, VP Pence, Pat Robertson, Debi Corsiglia’s dog, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Standard Disclaimer.
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This is what plastic bags and plastic in general does to our precious wildlife.
Plastic Bags
One TRILLION Plastic Bags are used around the world every year. Many are used only one time and then thrown away, that equals out to about 2 million per minute. Of course the usage varies from country to country with the US using the most bags. A plastic bag is made from fossil fuels, and almost never breaks down. The entire world must commit to stop using these bags if we want a noticeable change. And while many countries are agreeing to do this the US is not doing it as an entire country but many small towns are, along with the state of California.
The US uses 380 billion bags per year while the entire world uses 500 billion to 1 trillion bags. Ireland reduced the usage of plastic bags by over 90% between 2001 and 2011 by charging 37 cents per bag. This reduced the number of bags by 1 billion. Plastic bags in the ocean kills 1 million sea birds every year and over 100,000 mammals endangering the very existence of many species.
The first country to try and change the amount of bags used was Denmark, which started in 1993, whereby charges are levied for the use of plastic bags. This made use drop by 60% quite quickly then the use on bags began to rise again so the country added a surcharge which reduced the demand of plastic bags.
Since Ireland and Denmark’s programs were so successful, the European Union will require an 80% reduction of plastic bags by 2019. This means nearly every European country is now considering ways to bring about reductions.
The main reason we need to get rid of plastic bags is because of the adverse effects it is having on our marine life. 94% of all birds have plastic in their stomachs, which is also found in the stomachs of many endangered species. At least 267 different species of animals have suffered as a result of ingestion of or entanglement with plastic. In fact, these results caused Australia to ban bags locally in 2003, in an effort to protect the migrating whales in Tasmania.
But the oceans are not the only one suffering from plastic bags. Problems are all around the world for example; Kenya bags are banned to stop the spread of Malaria. In Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cameroon, it protects the sewage systems and avoids floods. In Texas and Indian communities, it is done to protect the cattle. In Mauritania, for instance, 70% of sheep and cattle deaths are related to plastic ingestion. The same concern exists for camels in the United Arab Emirates. Plastic bags knows no boundaries and causes issues where ever it is used.
Bags were so bad in South Africa that they recognize bags in trees and bushes as their national flower. So they decided to do something about it and banned certain bags by 2003 and have taxed thicker ones. Botswana put up a fee in 2007 and retailers have reported a 50% drop in bag usage. Some 16 countries on the African continent have bag bans and taxes in place. Why don’t the US? Is it because we are a throw away society now, and care little for our planet.
Chicago banned bags in 2014. Washington, DC and Dallas charge for bags, paper and plastic. This was due to bags finding their way into the rivers. Canada has voluntary anti-bag actions and incentives for stores and consumers have dropped bag usage by some 50%. Plastic bags are no longer used in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Manitoba. Certain cities in Chile and certain parts of Argentina and Brazil only use biodegradable bags. Sao Paulo banned single use bags in 2012 and charged for biodegradable bags. Unfortunately, this measure was removed. Mexico City banned bags in 2009. However, plastic manufacturers heavily protested this and the measure was repealed before it was actually enforced. Instead, a recycling initiative was instated, which is something plastic industry groups use regularly to avoid fees and bans.
As consumers we can control the use of plastic bags, stop using them! Bring your own bag to the store, for all your shopping. Ask your store to use a true biodegradable bag or stop shopping at that store. The power is the buying power of the consumer. If enough people lets the stores know they wont buy from them the stores will adopt other types of bags.
It is up to use humans to make the right decision regarding plastic bags and the murder of innocent marine species and land animals. It is our duty as the most intelligent species on earth to protect the other living creatures. And we can do so by stop using plastic bags.
Please stop using plastic bags , at least reduce the amount of plastic bags you use more and more and then finally you wont even miss the convenience of the plastic bag.
Tammy
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