Our Enemy: Plastic

What is Plastic?

Plastic has become a necessity in the manufacturing industry, it's cheap and effortless to make in factories. Plastic water bottles will take 450 years to decompose, however, the bags will take 1,000 years. The plastic we use today will disintegrate years after we are gone. This plastic ruins our forests, oceans, mountains, and rivers. Banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores and other retail stores will significantly decrease our negative effects on the environment.

What is plastic?

Plastic is a type of synthetic material regularly used for manufacturing and packaging. This material is affordable and pliable which makes it popular in factories. Some use plastic without batting an eye, ignorant of its effect on the environment and society. However, proposals to diminish plastic use in America have been made. These proposals enable us to still use plastic but reduce the nonessential ones by taxing certain products, promoting alternative materials, and educating consumers about their consumption. (Plastic Waste, Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection)

How does it harm our environment?

An essential part of improving the environment is educating more consumers on what plastic does to our ecosystems, wildlife, and our health. Plastic bags, " litter our landscapes, get caught in fences and trees, float around in waterways, and can eventually make their way into the world's oceans." (Reasons to Ban Plastic Bags, Green Action) These bags are thin and lightweight which means they can travel long distances. When they travel, they can end up in our oceans, animals get stuck, and mistake them for food and eat them. "..plastic pieces are often mistaken for food by animals, birds, and marine life like fish and sea turtles. Animals can also easily become entangled in this plastic." (Reasons to Ban Plastic Bags, Green Action) Not only does it damage wildlife and ecosystems, but it also harms us. "When marine organisms consume plastics in our oceans, these chemicals can make their way through the ocean's food web and then into humans who eat fish and other marine organisms" (Reasons to Ban Plastic Bags, Green Action) Plastic is a harmful material that will damage wildlife.