Blog 6 - To Plastic, or Not to Plastic? That is the question in UK!

How "disposable" are these "disposable" plastic bags? We take our groceries from point A to point B, and then they usually get thrown in the trash. That's the end of these "disposable" bags, right? No, they end up sitting in a landfill for thousands of years. The European Union is on board to cut down plastic bag usage by 80% in ten years. This week, MEPs approved proposals to curb the sale of single use plastic bags in every member state. This would require each government to take some form of legislative action to curb free handouts of plastic bags. Many places in Europe have already started to ban plastic bags. These places were having their streets and beaches filled with these bags so they are already use to the change. Studies have shown that three-quarters of seabirds and one third of fish in the English Channel have been found to be contaminated by plastic waste, much of it from plastic bags. 

We use them for maybe twenty minutes for them to sit in a landfill for thousands of years? that doesn't seem right. These bags are a useless pollutant since we have other, more environmentally satisfying ways of bringing our groceries inside. Not only do they clog the landfills, they also are a serious threat to marine wildlife. Plastic trash ends up in the ocean and the animals will think it's food. The EU is taking a huge step in the right direction here. Hopefully, more places will follow their lead and ban plastic bags as well. We have the technology to do away with these environmentally destructive bags. Without them, it's one less thing we will have to worry about the future. It does not seem fair that our future generations are going to have to pick plastic out of their drinks. Mmm.. Plastic soda anyone? 

Link - http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/11/meps-back-plan-cut-plastic-bag-use