Polyethelene Bags and their impact on the Environment.

It is commonly unbeknown to the consumer, the sheer scale of negative influence that Polyethylene Bags have on our environment and society. Their destructive impact begins before production and continues on to harmful issues such as wastage and improper disposal. With these issues in mind we can begin to understand just how devastating Polyethylene bags are to our environment.

Plastic bags become harmful to the environment even before they hit the market.  Manufacturing plastic bags emits tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere annually.  Every year 60 to 100 million barrels of oil are used in the making of the global supply of plastic bags.  In America alone, an extra 12 million barrels of oil is consumed to keep up with their demand for plastic bags.

Scientists estimate that most plastic bags take between 500 to over 1,000 years to completely biodegrade.  They have been around for around fifty years now, which means that not a single plastic bag ever made has naturally biodegraded.  When they do biodegrade, they break down into toxic particles that then pollute our land and water.

Millions of plastic bags end up as litter in our environment every year.  They create visual pollution because they end up in our streets, trees, gutters, parks, waterways, and many other places.  Not only are they visually unappealing, but they also pollute the environment.  The toxic plastic seeps into soils and waterways which contaminates them.

Not only do plastic bags harm the environment, but they also harm its inhabitants.  It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of marine animals are killed every year because of plastic bags.  Some of the animals affected include birds, whales, seals, turtles, and many others.  Plastic bags make their way into the ocean or other water ways and animals either eat or become entangled in them.  A single plastic bag can kill multiple creatures because even after an animal eats the bag, the body decomposes and the bag is let back into the environment again.

With these shocking facts in mind we can determine just how threatening to the environment the impact of plastic bags is becoming. The fact that no single plastic bag is yet to naturally degrade is a truly heartbreaking statistic and should be motivation for many to attempt to drastically reduce plastic bag consumption.

Key Audiences

Politicians:
As history reveals, the success or failure of a particular campaign generally depends on whether the correct support structures are in place. Political decisions are almost always respected and accepted by the wider community. There are many ways in which political intervention can help a campaign, through the use of rewards and incentives, or by regulations and bans. Modern civilization is bound within a deficit model of knowledge and the centralised bodies are often pivotal in bringing about environmental change. 

Campaign Posters

These are the samples of the A3 posters which were designed as part of the media and promotional campaign. They were based around clarity of information, and clean modern designs. These offer
shoppers a glimpse into the vast network of disastrous effects plastic bags have on society.

Don't Stop There!

Switching to reusable bags is an important step in the march towards a sustainable future. However, there's more that you can do! It is important that we make the transition from disposable products in many other aspects of life as well. Reuseit.com shares this vision and is a pioneer in reusable products, selling reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, towels and other accessories. Think about the impact you can make, and switch today!

Major Companies Leading The Way

Many major companies have also begun to take matters into their own hands. Companies like Target, Walmart, and CVS have developed incentive programs to get people to avoid using plastic bags. Target now offers five cents off the bill for every reusable bag used. CVS "Extra Care" users can pay a one time fee of 99cents to receive their "Green Bag Tag". The card is swiped every time they make a purchase and don't use a plastic bag. After every fourth swipe the customer receives a dollar off their next purchase. 

But a few Walmart stores in California have gone the extra step and completely banned the use of plastic bags altogether. Customers are forced to either bring their own reusable bags or purchase them at the checkout for 15cents. They are planning to extend this practice to more of their stores throughout northern California and hopefully throughout the rest of the country.

People no longer think twice when bagging their groceries at the supermarket. Plastic bags have been used to carry groceries and other goods home for years and it has never been seen as a major issue. But Target, CVS, and Walmart have shone a light on the issue and made it well known to their customers. This is the first step. Not only have they begun to force customers to think twice about what they bring their groceries home in, but by imposing incentive plans they are promoting the actual use of reusable bags as oppose to people merely considering it. It's when giant corporations such as theses three begin to take steps in the right direction that the rest of the world follows.


Sources:
Green Joyment    Wallet Pop

Current Improvements

Many countries have already begun to take steps towards eliminating the use of plastic bags. Ireland imposed it's "plastax" back in 2002 and cut its plastic bag use by 90% in only 6 months! Not only has the tax raised millions of euros to be used for environmental projects but it has also noticeably cleaned up the city streets of Ireland. China has implemented a ban on plastic bags all together, cutting their usage by 66% and saving them 1.6 billion tons of petroleum.  Countries such as Brazil, Zanzibar, and Bangledesh have also banned the use of plastic bags, and Australia is following in their footsteps, with South Australia and Victoria leading the way.

The efforts and results of these countries should be enough to push the rest of the world in the same direction. The proof that bag taxes and bans can work is right in front of us. By cutting our usage of plastic bags we could save billions of dollars of wasted petroleum, clean up our cities and towns, raise money for other environmental projects, save countless animals lives, and condition ourselves to live in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable world. By cutting petroleum usage we would be helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well. We, as common citizens, can all help to accomplish these things by simply ditching the plastic and bringing our own bags with us to the grocery store, a small price to pay for the well-being of the world!

Sources:

BBC News     Green Joyment

PLANET ARK Plastic bag reduction Campaign.

• Useful tips on reducing our impact at home, in the shops and in general. 
• Able to leverage the support of the large number of members involved with Planet Ark. 
• Well renowned for many types of social and community activities and much likely to be supported by those unaware of the worsening conditions.

http://plasticbags.planetark.org/