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Plastic Bag Ban

Plastic Bag Ban. Quick facts. On average a plastic bag is used for 12 minutes, but takes 500-1,000 years to decompose Less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled 1 million plastic bags are produced per minute- 50% are used only once

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Plastic Bag Ban

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  1. Plastic Bag Ban

  2. Quick facts • On average a plastic bag is used for 12 minutes, but takes 500-1,000 years to decompose • Less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled • 1 million plastic bags are produced per minute-50% are used only once • In terms of petroleum use, the amount used to make 14 plastic bags is equal the average amount it takes a car to drive for a month • There are about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in each square mile of our oceans. • Enough plastic bags are thrown away each year to wrap around the Earth 4x • Americans use 100 billion plastic bags per year • Nationwide, litter cleanup efforts amount to as much as $11 billion per year

  3. Stats surrounding # of bags used • 30 countries, the latest being Kenya, have banned or fined plastic bags- 61 towns in MA, 1 state • Massachusetts residents are estimated to use more than 2 billion bags per year (about a bag per person per day) • For 30 million bags used in the US per year, 12 million barrels of oil are required (504 million gallons)

  4. Effects on Animals - Marine animals that become entangled in plastic debris often die a slow death due to the nature of the plastic. Often it wraps around extremities causing suffocation or inability to move, eat, and defend themselves from predators. -Ingestion of plastic, specifically but not limited to microplastic, can result in a marine animal feeling full when in fact their body is in need of nutrients. Chemicals used in plastic production can negatively affect their endocrine system- increasing issues with breeding. -Due to the nature of the food chain, fish that have ingested these plastics end up on our plate

  5. Detriment to the environment -The United Nations Environment Program estimates that some eight million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year -World Economic Forum report projects that there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans by 2050 if current trends continue -The estimated amount of carbon emissions from plastic manufacturing varies from 100-500 million tons per year- equivalent to 19-92 million cars per year

  6. Paper v. Plastic • Paper releases more CO2 emissions when decomposing, often an argument used to disavow plastic bag bans, but this comes naturally with biodegradable bags • Over 77% of the materials in paper bags are reused and recycled items • Paper bags are more expensive • Though emit CO2 when degrading, when disposed of properly, they may not degrade as landfills tend to be cut off from light and air in order to prevent environmental and air pollution • Paper bags that are recycled properly are easier to reuse • Plastic bags emit less CO2 into the atmosphere when disposed of properly but less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled properly resulting in their interference in natural beauty, animal life, and the environment • Switching to reusable bags is better for the environment overall.

  7. Recycling process of plastic bags -According to the Clean Air Council, recycling 1 ton of plastic bags cost $4,000, while the recycled product can be sold for only $32 -Plastic bags are typically placed in recycling bins with other plastics, and the bags jam and damage sorting machines, which can be expensive to repair -Nationwide, litter cleanup efforts amount to as much as $11 billion per year- costs 17 cents per bag

  8. Dover Business Dover Market: In Support, lunchtime might be difficult Dover Deli: Understands the argument but will pose challenges for business Dover Mobil: In support because there is not a lot of need for bags Dunkin Donuts: Impartial, prefers the opinion of customers Overview: Business’ were generally in support but brought up the possible economic challenges of buying more expensive bags to use Don’t get left behind- don’t wait for the state ban do something NOW

  9. Sources http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:546648/FULLTEXT01.pdf2 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/03/opinion/sunday/plastic-bags-pollution-oceans.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share https://enviroliteracy.org/environment-society/life-cycle-analysis/paper-or-plastic/

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