Environmental Issue Blog Post
Awareness of the harm of single-use
plastics on the environment has increased, but items such as plastic bags
commonly used at the grocery store still threaten many species and their habitats.
My home state, New Jersey, has launched various initiatives to end the use of
these bags. So far, over 24 municipalities and one county ban businesses from
distributing plastic bags. While many of the state’s lawmakers push for a statewide
ban, another policy which would have imposed a 5-cent fee on such single-use
plastic items was vetoed by Governor Phil Murphy. Most environmental groups feel
taxes of this sort do very little to discourage use of the bags, and instead
advocate for bans or alternatives like reusable bags. It is extremely
interesting to observe the political nature of environmental issues. Different lobbying
groups have different priorities, and legislators disagree on which policies
are best. At the end of the day, there are pros and cons to each option, and
the government must struggle to determine which course of action helps the
environment but does not place a large burden on the people.
Plastic
bag use is extremely prevalent, as merchants such as grocery stores, takeout
restaurants, and other retailers supply the bags to their customers. Americans
use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million
barrels of oil to manufacture. The production of these bags along with their
handling after they are used creates major problems for the environment. A very
small percentage of these bags is ever recycled. Since so many of them are
inevitably floating around, it is not surprising that they so frequently end up
where they do not belong. An article on northjersey.com stated that “About 85
percent of the litter picked up at two annual beach cleanups by Clean Ocean
Action in recent years was plastic.” Because they are rarely recycled, so many
of these plastic bags find their way to the oceans. Others block drainage systems
or get blown into fields where livestock tend to eat them. New Jersey’s leading
talk radio station, NJ 101.5, cited statistics that “Scientists have found
plastic fragments in hundreds of species, including 86% of all sea turtle
species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species.” As marine
life so commonly intercepts these bags, researchers have concluded that over
100,000 marine animals die from plastic bags each year.
The issue
of single-use plastic items was first introduced to me through a legal lens
where I heard about various government proposals to ban bags or establish fees.
When I investigated the problem, I learned more about how dramatic the effects
truly are. We have discussed similar topics in class, noting how our college campus
takes steps to reduce its footprint. F&M employs motion-censored lights, water
bottle fill-up stations, plastic straws, compostable food containers, and other
items to minimize its negative impact on the environment. Lawmakers in New
Jersey are dealing with the plastic bag dilemma, hoping to enact a policy that
most efficiently solves the problem. Although a steeper fee or a total ban on
the bags might render serious change, I would also consider the effectiveness
of incentivizing the use of reusable bags. At grocery stores where plastic bags
are handed out in huge numbers, if customers receive a discount or tax break
for supplying their own bags of a more sustainable material, it is possible
that we would see a decline in the amount of plastic bags floating in the ocean
or sweeping across the streets.
Sources:
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