Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Heres Dr. Taylor discussing some of her research on that front. "Exactly what happens to a plastic bag when it is littered depends very much on where it enters the environment and the mechanisms that cause it . Scientists believe lasting symptoms following a coronavirus infection is not a single disorder. Im curious, in your work looking at plastic bags or plastic in general, if there have been any cases of people being irrational actors in the market that just really surprised you or stood out to you. Thats like opening a Papa Johns right next to a Little Caesars. In the case of using a tax, the government is also then able to raise some money, which can be used to either lower taxes elsewhere or go toward environmental cleanup efforts or most importantly, turning Niagara Falls into a waterslide. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? Even if bags arent the worst offender though, theyre a very hot topic and in my opinion, a really really interesting and misunderstood one, so Im very excited to talk about it today. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. You can order the T-shirt plastic bags in wholesale from Bags . The first time you say your dog ate it, its a funny story, but by the fifth time, youre definitely going to fail first grade. If you melt a plastic bag down, you can absolutely recycle that polyethylene, and in fact, recycled high-density polyethylene has about a third of the carbon footprint of virgin high-density polyethylene. [knock on door, door creaks open, then Laszlo starts coughing uncontrollably]. Theres no easy answer, says Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which backed NYCs bag fee. The first time you say your dog ate it, its a funny story, but by the fifth time, youre definitely going to fail first grade. Thats where this gets interesting. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. In the last couple weeks, I believe around five of our team members got sick, so weve been struggling a little bit! Or do state governments get to say, when local governments do implement the policies, theres a concern that it causes a patchwork of policies that might harm businesses, confused customers. So some of my recent research was looking at to what extent do we actually see border shopping occur? Design and build by Upstatement. Featuring special guest Dr. Rebecca Taylor, Senior Lecturer of Economics at the University of Sydney. Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, Calif., a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. The past and future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. ETHAN: Why does all that matter? Heres why thats a big deal. Thats leading to a split in the anti-bag movement. Not So Fast. NADJA: Will you at least go and talk to it? Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? And so when we think about these policies, were balancing these different environmental objectives. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Eastern Hemlocks Are Declining. It argues that while banning plastic bags may be good for the environment, it is not as simple as it seems. Produce sellers in this busy agricultural hub 95 miles. How Can Soy Reduce Its Environmental Impact? Capacitors. How do we make polyethylene? If someone wants a straw, they can ask and get it, no questions asked. And I think thats the topic I dont know enough about. Thicker, reusable bags are still available for purchase for 10 cents. In Staten Island, perhaps? They were reusing their carry out bags as garbage bags. Already in Massachusetts, 32 towns and cities have passed bag bans or fees. Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. So what this tells us is that people were actually doing this very green thing. Special thanks to our Emperor Penguin patrons Lawrence Harris and Brownies Central. Its the same you know, it gets rolled into the price of your groceries the same way that youre paying for the cashiers, and the store workers and the age back and all of that you are paying for your plastic bags, but you dont see that what we call marginal cost per plastic bag. Now, for various reasons, political reasons, taxes are often not favored by politicians, because people dont like the word tax. Not So Fast" by Ben Adler focuses on the states attempting to end giving out plastic bags for free hoping to reduce plastic waste. When we got rid of the carry out bags, people had to start purchasing garbage bags. Anyway, at a cracker plant, they use extreme heat to crack the molecular bonds in the oil or gas to produce a new gas called ethylene. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Its like when your boss bans YouTube at work, so everyone jumps to Discord. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker?. Saying go to your room doesnt actually solve anything, but hey, its easier than having an intelligent conversation with a six-year-old. In addition to being my celebrity couple name with a girl named Polly, polyethylene is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. A Canadian Gas Field Is Polluting First Nation Communities, How Climate Change, Poverty, and Social Stigma Affect Menstrual Hygiene. Right now, one of the best ways to help Grist continue to thrive is by becoming a monthly member. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for. Bag bans seem to be all the rage, but its not the only option. You would think five cents to reuse a bag would have a state similar behavioral response is five cents to not use a bag to have to pay for than plastic bag. But it turns out that charging people to use bags is not the same as paying them to bring reusable bags. So its a bit nuanced. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. The shift from one single-use bag to another single-use bag may improve one environmental outcome, but be offset by another environmental impact.. A pound of cotton requires more than 5,000 gallons of water on average, a thirst far greater than that of any vegetable and even most meats. Shortly after, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require acharge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. So were still figuring it out right now, but weve got a great episode for you today. Some bills, like in Massachusetts, try to reduce the use of paper bags as well as plastic, but still favor paper. [wrong buzz] Aw, dammit, I was so close! In fact, every region of the US has a different energy mix. You can conceive of the possibility of collecting plastic bags from the ocean, but microplastics are almost impossible to remove from their environments. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker? The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but its the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. There are eight states that ban single-use plastic bags, and these are Oregon, Vermont, California, Hawaii, Delaware, New York, Maine, and Connecticut. This really needs to be top priority. But University of Sydneys Dr. Rebecca Taylor says not so fast. A lot of the waste ends up in our communities, says Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, an environmental and social justice-oriented community organization in Brooklyn. [wrong buzz, rewind] Cracker? The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running. Okay, maybe Im going overboard, but honestly, if it were a small ordeal to get a single-use bag, I could see the inconvenience of that motivating people to bring their reusable bags to the store a whole lot more than a five or ten cent tax. The big difference is that paper does biodegrade eventually. And so this is a really tense issue around. TAYLOR: Yeah, I think one thing that stands out, when we think about plastic bags, and when we think about sort of packaging, in general, is that theres this perception that its free, that theres no price, and that you can you know, youre not paying for the plastic bags that you use, thats not actually true, you actually do pay for the plastic bags that you use at the supermarket. And honestly, a little sketchy that ethylene cant handle sunlight. Reader support helps sustain our work. Microsoft quietly supported legislation to make it easier to fix devices. Cracker? As longtime plastic bag adversary Ian Frazier recently reported in The New Yorker, In 2014, plastic grocery bags were the seventh most common item collected during the Ocean Conservancys International Coastal Cleanup, behind smaller debris such as cigarette butts, plastic straws, and bottle caps. The New York City Sanitation Department collects more than 1,700 tons of single-use carry-out bags every week, and has to spend $12.5 million a year to dispose of them. And thats actually increasing the carbon footprint. I hardly know her! WIRED 181k followers More information Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? As great as it is to see policy efforts get going, we want to hold them accountable and make sure they actually make the biggest positive impact possible. (The crunchy rich should already have more than enough tote bags from PBS and Whole Foods.). Not So Fast" by Ben Adler and the essay "Choking The Oceans With Plastic" by Charles J. Moore they both pose a connection and an area of disagreement. Also, this question is something like asking, Would you prefer to get a parking ticket or a tax assessment? It depends on the specifics, but its better to avoid both wherever possible. Goldstein is confident that if people switch to reusable bags, even cotton ones, and use them consistently, that will ultimately be better for the environment. One option you may have come across depending on where you live is a plastic bag fee or paper bag fee or reusable bag credit. ETHAN: Obviously, this is a ridiculously nuanced issue, and while it might not be the most pressing concern of our generation, its absolutely worth discussing, especially given how popular the topic has been. They are not the largest sources of plastic pollution Plastic waste is indeed a. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group. But on the other hand, paper has a much higher carbon footprint than plastic, its much more water intensive, its much more energy intensive to produce. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. As longtime plastic bag adversary Ian Frazier recently reported in The New Yorker, In 2014, plastic grocery bags were the seventh most common item collected during the Ocean Conservancys International Coastal Cleanup, behind smaller debris such as cigarette butts, plastic straws, and bottle caps. The New York City Sanitation Department collects more than 1,700 tons of single-use carry-out bags every week, and has to spend $12.5 million a year to dispose of them. Scientists are working on that, and according to a 2021 thesis study from LUT University in Finland, if that process were powered by clean energy, plastic bags made from carbon dioxide could actually be carbon negative. But what I do know I find so fascinating. I asked Dr. Taylor how we can account for the cost of alternatives when we create policies to address plastic bags. A New Computer Proof Blows Up Centuries-Old Fluid Equations. Its like excuses for not doing your homework. Killing wildlife 5. This episode of The Sweaty Penguin explores a wide range of issues including plastic bag manufacturing and looks at the shortcomings of some proposed solutions. Paper does have its own environmental consequences in terms of how much energy it takes to generate, acknowledges Emily Norton, director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. [slam the wrong buzz several times, then rewind], Okay, okay cracker? Like, get a life, man. Definitely not the intention. As the Australian study noted, a cotton bag has major environmental impacts of its own. Politicians "looking for something to do" like banning plastic bags routinely do more harm than good. 4 Absent the fee, which provides the economic incentive to bring reusable bags to the store, simple bans tend to shift consumers from one type . Anyway, at a cracker plant, they use extreme heat to crack the molecular bonds in the oil or gas to produce a new gas called ethylene. AD READER: This episode of The Sweaty Penguin is brought to you by Christmas. Plastic bags should be banned as it pollutes the water and land. That way youre reducing the amount of material thats going into the product, but you still want it to be something that youll actually find convenient and reuse with you. One of the most comprehensive research papers on the environmental impact of bags, published in 2007 by an Australian state government agency, found that paper bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? So paper bag usage did increase quite a bit. As far as I know, nobody has done the definitive analysis, which would necessarily need to have a large number of caveats and qualifications. And as you mentioned, tote bags can be actually more harmful. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. In other words, rather than emitting carbon, they would take carbon out of the atmosphere. And so whats really interesting is just adding a small price to each, each bag, you know, five cents, we see really large behavioral changes just with that small price. And all of these materials do better? So I often tell people, if theyre choosing a bag, you want to choose a bag that you are going to reuse that could be a thin bag, then plastic bag, or it could be a nylon bag, which is technically still plastic, but is a woven plastic thats fairly lightweight, and thus, perhaps not going to have the same environmental impact as a heavier plastic or a cloth bag. Now, a new law hopes to take things a step further by banning these: single-use plastic pre-checkout bags that are not recyclable and can contaminate compost facilities. So the unintended consequences. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. After the break, well discuss where bag bans have shown shortcomings, the pros and cons of other types of grocery bags, and some other solution ideas that havent gained the same level of popularity as Dijon-crusted plastic. The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. Still, many environmentalists argue that plastic is worse than paper. There are also policy options that dont involve bans. ETHAN: When environmentalists talk about plastic bags though, its often not about the production process, but rather what happens after we throw them out. Thats right, its always the one you most suspect. Not So Fast Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. ETHAN: Seven of those 16 projects were related to ethylene or polyethylene, including the five highest polluters of the group. Solar and wind companies are coming to rural Texas. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise. Improperly discarded bags have polluted waterways, clogged sewers, and been found in oceans, affecting the ecosystem of marine creatures. If so, awesome, although we should probably talk about why youre that obsessed with your tote bag. So I am an environmental economist. A lot of the waste ends up in our communities, says Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, an environmental and social justice-oriented community organization in Brooklyn. Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, says Tyler. Salt Marshes Are Essential Climate Solutions. ETHAN: Now, it is worth noting that a single-use plastic grocery bag takes about 20 years to break down in the environment about as long as it takes the average to break down. Whereas the small taxes are very effective. Aw, dammit, I was so close! Back to those three Rs we learned when we were in elementary school, the reduce the Reuse and Recycle. Instagram, Follow us on Adler, Ben. I know it sounds silly, but it would make a difference. Again, because this is what I tell people all the time. It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. So that means fewer animals getting entangled over time which is good, but unfortunately, it also means plastic bags take a lot less time to become microplastics. Now a hybrid ban, where you ban a particular thin plastic or film plastic, as long as theres also consideration for the other types of bags such as paper bags, and reusable bags, and requiring stores to charge for those other bags. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. I mean, look at all the kids roaming the streets looking for water after eating a single Saltine. Have a listen. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the US, particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed Not So Fast by Ben Adler The author of the piece Ben Adler agrees that plastic bags have an adverse impact on the environment. I guess the name does make sense. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the U.S., particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. But if communicated to the public well, I think its an interesting idea, and Id be curious to see if a similar approach could work with bags. ITS PAPER. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. All donations matched! Every so often, our star fires off a plasma bomb in a random direction. Whether its paper, whether its plastic, can we reuse it, you know, extend its life? The measure now under consideration in Massachusetts, for example, would mandate that single-use paper bags contain at least 40 percent recycled fiber. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker? [ding ding ding] Wow, that was a tough one. And beyond that, ethylene itself is a dangerous pollutant. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. People look at [paper] and say its degradable, therefore its much better for the environment, but its not in terms of climate change impact, says David Tyler, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon who has examined the research on the environmental impact of bag use. Not So Fast." [wrong buzz, rewind] Cracker? Its not easy being a green consumer, in part because there are these different dimensions of environmental impact. Not a fan of arcade games, I guess. Wait, sorry, wrong kind of cracker. Single-use plastics seem to be disappearing. Plastic Bags Are a Problem. And in pretty much any case, people shift to an alternative type of grocery bag, and while plastic is unique in that it does not decompose, other types of bags have issues of their own. In May 2016, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. And thats just not true. So have at least 88 localities in California, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus cities and towns in more than a dozen other states and more than a dozen other countries. Christmas: no, were not going to stop. debut in season five. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. LASZLO: What I want to know is why I wasnt consulted in inviting this creature into our home. ETHAN: Hopefully ethylene makes its What We Do In The Shadows debut in season five. Theres the impact of material, if it makes it into the environment as litter, theres the impact of the production of it on emissions and climate. But if communicated to the public well, I think its an interesting idea, and Id be curious to see if a similar approach could work with bags. Fees have a smaller, but still significant, effect. And so my recommendation is to use as few bags as you can reuse the ones that you do purchase and purchase your bags, make it an active decision. No, of course not. How do we do that? On the disposal side, single-use plastic bags are currently not recyclable, but thats because the bags are so flimsy they can get caught in the machinery. Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. [slam the wrong buzz several times, then rewind] Okay, okay cracker? [bell ring] Like blueberries or trips to the bathroom, not all plastics are created equal, and single-use plastic bags are typically made from a material called high-density polyethylene. If we do that, well see less polluted oceans, improved public health, and maybe, for the first time in history, Polly wont want a cracker. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. Donate today to keep our climate news free. And so in terms of ranking those, that would be my order, taxes, hybrid bands, and then least preferred standalone bands. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? But not just anywhere. Some are funded by plastic industry groups, like the ironically named American Progressive Bag Alliance. Others, like in New York City, treat all single-use bags equally. Instagram, Follow us on Scientists are getting closer to understanding the neurology behind the memory problems and cognitive fuzziness that an infection can trigger. Now theres a breakthrough. Often they need to be reused at least 100, if not more times, to be more environmentally friendly than those thin plastic bags that were so familiar with. 1. ETHAN: And youve written several papers on plastic bags, Ill start with your paper that won the Journal of Environmental Economics and Managements Best Paper Prize in 2020, which discussed some of the unintended consequences of plastic bag bans. They are a lot easier to carry than many other shopping bags out there. Not only are there these human health concerns, but crackers and other petrochemical facilities are not located very fairly. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. Whos building these things, Triscuit? On one hand, we are reducing the amount of litter. Cities and states across the country are banning plastic bags, but those bans may be having unintended consequences. People still need bags to bring home their groceries. YouTube, Follow us on Made from fossil fuels 3. Studies of bags environmental impacts over their life cycle have reached widely varying conclusions. ETHAN: That new ban was signed into law on September 30, and the fact that it was in the news goes to show that even with all the other things going on in the world, people are paying attention to this issue. Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. Plastic bag bans havent fixed the entire problem where theyve been implemented. Harmful to human health 6. Businesses may be reluctant to engage in default choice modification because customers might not realize the law and think theyre just getting bad service. ETHAN: The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change.
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