What Are The Positive Impacts of Plastic Bag Bans?
Making Sense of Ditching Single-Use Plastic Bags
Some people love the idea of plastic bag bans and fight to get them in place, while other people work just as hard to oppose these bans. You can gain an overview of the bag ban movement by checking out our plastic bag ban map. We strive to show the big picture and track the successful bans and laws, as well as the failures and setbacks.
There are two sides to every story, and we’ve already looked at the negative impacts of plastic bag bans, so now it’s time to look at the positive impacts of plastic bag bans.
Less Trash
Eliminating single-use plastic bags at registers means there is less trash in the waste stream and less litter. Recycling disposable plastic bags is difficult for a variety of reasons and just doesn’t prove to be an effective solution. Most discarded plastic bags are thrown in the trash and carted off to landfills.
Once in landfills, plastic bags take up space. This may not seem like a major issue, because bags are small and compact. However, estimates put the number of disposable bags used per year in the U.S. at 100 billion and only about five percent is recycled with the majority ending up in landfills. That works out to a very sizable mass.
Reduced Mess
Getting rid of disposable bags also means there is less litter. Discarded trash is an eyesore that is just plain ugly. Wayward plastic bags also pose a major problem for drainage systems and can cause flooding. Litter is a very real problem for animals, particularly marine animals. Animals eating plastic bags can be a fatal mistake that can have much more serious implications across a habitat and food chain.
Improved Use of Resources
Plastic is made from nonrenewable resources. Continuing to use plastic to construct disposable bags is an irresponsible use of these resources. Plastic bag bans help reduce our dependence on plastic and wasteful use of nonrenewable resources. There is no sign of these nonrenewable resources running out anytime in the immediate future; although, the sooner we kick the plastic habit, the more of these resources we’ll have for other applications.
Reusable shopping bags made from recycled content prove to be an effective use of resources. These bags are much more likely to be recycled, so the materials are repurposed into useful items again and again.
Are Bag Bans Really Necessary?
If used plastic bags were responsibly handled there would be no need for bag bans. The problem is, disposable plastic bags are seldom disposed of in a responsible manner. Recycling rates are low and most bags end up in landfills or as litter. Plastic bag bans address and eliminate the negative impacts of plastic bags and have a positive impact on the planet.
Make a Difference with Your Brand
Custom reusable shopping bags are in high demand with plastic bag bans becoming more common. Your brand can help shoppers use less plastic and adjust to life without disposable bags by creating reusable bags. At Factory Direct Promos, we strive to deliver a strong quality and social commitment.
Our certifications include GOTS, Fairtrade, ISO 9001-2015 and FEDEX. We service both small and large organizations that want to order anywhere between 250 and 10 million pieces per year. Create your own custom reusable bags HERE to make a positive impact on the planet and your marketing efforts.
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