It has been less than 30 years since plastic bags were introduced. While bringing convenience to peoples’ daily life, they have also caused enormous burden to our planet. 500 billion plastic bags are consumed each year, which is approximately 1 million plastic bags in a minute. Plastics take 100 years to break down. They only become smaller over time but can never be converted by any known organisms. Therefore, they remain as toxic plastics polluting our landfills, rivers and oceans. Non-biodegradable plastics occupy landfill space for a long time and cause air pollution if burnt. Plastic bags are often blown around by wind, which causes “visual pollution”. The key ingredient of plastics is petroleum which is a not sustainable resource. During the process of production, shipping and disposal, lot of energy is consumed and it also produces carbon dioxide, which causes global warming. Moreover, every year over 100 thousand marine animals have died when they mistaken plastic bags for food. |
