告别塑料袋

如今，人们似乎被塑料制品包围着。从集装箱的人使用到储存食品的车辆，人们的驱动，这些塑料提供人类巨大的方便，同时，对一系列的地区构成严重的风险。―塑料袋，如各种形式的塑料，产生显著的环境和健康的负担。每年大约有5000亿个塑料袋被用于世界各地。在美国，超过2500万吨的塑料袋每年生产，其中一个微不足道的分数获得再生‖（引用）。那些不起眼的塑料袋对环境的危害是如何伤害动物和人类？为什么塑料袋的问题持续如此长的时间没有得到解决？人们和政府知道问题的严重性，塑料袋造成的吗？塑料袋变得很流行，因为它们很方便，易于使用，更重要的是，人们能够得到他们无处不在，从蔬菜供应商或超市。塑料袋可用于不同用途。

Nowadays, people seem to be surrounded by plastic products. From the containers people use to store food in to the vehicles which people drive, these plastics provide human beings huge convenience, in the same time, to pose serious risks to series of areas. ―Plastic bags, like all forms of plastic, create significant environmental and healthy burdens. Every year, around 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. In the United States, over 25 million tons of plastic bags per year been producing, a trivial fraction of which is getting recycled‖(Citation). How are those inconspicuous plastic bags harmful to the environment, hurt animals and human beings? Why the plastic bag problem continued for such a long time without be solved? What can people and the government do knowing the seriousness of the problems plastic bags cause? Plastic bags become popular because they are convenient and easy-to-use, more important, people are able to get them everywhere, right from a vegetable vendor or supermarket. Plastic bags can be used for different purpose.

For example, they can hold staffs, dust resistance or use as garbage bags. However, most of people are blissfully of the repercussions that are occurring and will take place in the future. First, plastic bags are difficult to recycle, once they are used, most bags go into landfill, or rubbish tips. Each year more and more bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags will find their way into waterways, parks, beaches, and streets. If people let them go, those litters will be pilled up lead to serious white pollution. Or people can take actions to deal with them, for instance, burning those plastic bags. Sadly, burning plastic bags will infuse the air with toxic fumes.(examples) The toxic fumes can pollute the air and have dreadful influence on human beings because as long as people alive they  need breathing. If burning is not a wise solution, is soil decomposition works? The answer is absolutely not. ―One of the worst environmental effects is that plastic bags are non-biodegradable.

The decomposition takes about 400 years and obviously no one will live so long to witness decomposition of plastic‖(Citation). Even worse than this, land pollution is caused by the deposit of plastic waste that cannot be broken down quickly or at all. Plastic bags take a long time to break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain. Seas become home to most of bags, sometimes, animals accidentally ingest them. Animals and sea creatures are hurt nearly every day by discarded plastic bags. ―About 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles, whales, and penguins are killed due to these bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal‖(Citation). Try to imagine, a dead turtle with a plastic bag hanging from its mouth isn't a pleasant sight. Not only about visual displeasure, the extinctions or threatened extinctions of many marine species started because of oceanic pollution(examples), it is a reasonable assumption that as more plastic bags is produced and discarded, more marine life will face the species extinction. Moreover, those died marine life lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it—human beings. Plastic bags are polluting the human food chain. In the ocean, plastic bags injure and kill fish, seabirds and marine mammals. On the land, people collected those toxic fishes and polluted marine mammals, cook them into all kinds of seafood or sold them into larger market. Not limited to died fish and animals that eating plastics bags by mistakes, chemicals from the plastic bags are leeching into the ocean, which will soon render other healthy fish and seafood. Increasing percentage of seafood becoming unsafe to eat. Eating polluted seafood is harmful to human beings‘ health. More  seriously, polluted seafood also linked to cancer and impairment of human beings‘ immune system. ―Bisphenol A, which is found in plastic bags, has been linked to various health conditions such as cancer, hyperactivity, obesity, impaired immune functioning and diabetes‖(Citation). After talking about the problem existing, people may wonder, why the plastic bags problem has been maintain for such a long time without be solved?

Are there any possible solutions, which people can follow to reduce pollution? In the United States, there are actually some measures to against serious plastic pollutions. As most people know, The US government and environmental protective organizations suggest citizens to do classifying for daily garbage, so plastic products like plastic bags can be better recycling. Disappointed, there is no government officials begin to penalize those who fail to sort their trash properly, the result is people still can choose their own attitude, of course, most people not prefer to give trouble to themselves. In addition to this, the requirement of banning plastic bags has only placed in California, started in San Francisco in few select stores. Why not ban plastic bags in the entire state? If pending legislation goes through, it could soon expend to all stores not only in the city. From the governments and society‘s perspective, first, every plastic bag should be recycled. Recycled plastic bags can be made into products such as carpeting, bottles and lumber for outdoor decking.

One piece of plastic recycled means one less piece in the landfill, so recycling is necessary. People who fail to sort their trash properly should be fined as warning. Second, it is understandable that it is kind of difficult to fully ban plastic bags. Instead of fully banning, the government can place a requirement on businesses to charge for plastic bags. Not only 1 cent, but 1 dollar for one bag, so people will not be willing to pay for it; as the result, they will bring their  own cotton bags. Beside government requirement of recycling and charging for those plastic bags, people can spontaneously take actions to make difference. For example, citizens should take no plastic bags from supermarkets and stores, buy canvas bags to use instead of plastic or reuse plastic bags you already took. This action pushes industries that used to produce plastic bags turn to produce paper, canvas and other healthy-fiber bags, because the rapidly decrease demanding of plastic bags. So even everyone should support recycling and reducing plastic bags, there is one thing that people cannot be denied—plastic bag pollution is a controversial issue. Lots of industries and business are making profits from producing plastic bags. If government banned free plastic bags, it will lead to the closure of the state‘s biggest plastic bag manufacturer. The entire industry will collapse and thousands of workers will lose their jobs.

On the other hand, recycling plastic bags will increase government spending and meanwhile pose a huge burden on the state. Therefore, some people believe the United States government has a great deal of trouble funding relevant capitals to implement recycle plastic bags policies. The reason for people should believe the solution above is the best is that countries, for instance, China and Singapore already adopted this solution and implemented this recycling system. It has been almost three years since those countries banned plastic bags from the supermarket and other shops; encourage people to support societies recycling plastic bags. The solution has a significant impact on reducing white pollution. (Examples and Data) The results confirm that the United States can imitate them. Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because they are cheap, strong, lightweight, functional, as well as a hygienic means of carrying food as well as other goods.  
 

However, plastic bags consume growing amounts of energy and other natural resources, degrading the environment in numerous ways. In addition to using up fossil fuels and other resources, plastic products create litter, hurt marine life, and threaten the basis of life on earth. Using plastic product also linked to cancer and impairment of human beings‘ immune system. While governments may be working out ways to lessen the impact of plastic bags on the environment, whereas, everyone should shoulder some of the responsibility for this problem, which ultimately harms human beings. For a clean and green environment, for the right of animals to continue living, for a healthy and safety food for human beings, try to use alternatives to plastic bags whenever and wherever possible. It is important for people to cut down on the use of plastic bags, and does everyone‘s best to save the planet.