for example,plastic bags,plastic bottles etc.....
Most plastic bags are produced using oil. Oil drilling is harmful to the environment and our addiction to oil is making our nation less secure, while damaging our economy. (Though of course there are other problems with security and economy.) In addition, plastic bags that are not recycled will eventually end up in a landfill or in the ocean. Plastic does not even begin to biodegrade for hundreds of years. This allows it plenty of time to wreak havoc in ecosystems. For instance, sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, and eat them. The plastic blocks their digestive tracts, causing painful deaths. Have you ever heard of the Pacific Garbage Patch? It's a plastic continent, at least twice the size of Texas, floating in the Pacific. It's composed of waste, most of which originated on land. Recycling plastic bags is essential, but even this uses considerable energy, which pollutes the air. Banning plastic bags would alleviate these problems. However, plastic must be replaced with reusable bags, not necessarily paper. The problem is, people are accustomed to cheap, convenient lifestyles, and many are unwilling to switch to reusable bags. But I use cloth bags at Target and Winn-Dixie, and I find them to be much more convenient than plastic or paper, because they are sturdier and hold more stuff. So the only real disadvantage that I can think of is that the plastic bag industry would suffer, which is not good is this economic climate. Others might disagree, but IMHO the environment is more important than big business. A final note: As Plastic bags do not account for all of the plastic waste we produce. Most items in stores are over-packaged and use excessive plastic, because the packaging is used for advertisement, not just to protect the product. In order to solve the problems caused by plastic waste, we must recycle, decrease and/or eliminate all plastic, not just bags.
