Rough Draft 10 - Written progress - 'Banning plastic bags is great for Bag bans cut this litter off at the source: In San Jose, Calif., a plastic bag ban led to an 89 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags winding up in the citys storm drains. And so whats really interesting is just adding a small price to each, each bag, you know, five cents, we see really large behavioral changes just with that small price. ETHAN: But first, its time for Plastic Bags 101. Thats right, I said it. If we do that, well see less polluted oceans, improved public health, and maybe, for the first time in history, Polly wont want a cracker. ETHAN: Specifically, well be talking about grocery bags. As great as it is to see policy efforts get going, we want to hold them accountable and make sure they actually make the biggest positive impact possible. And those seven ethylene projects are concentrated in just three counties in Texas: Harris County, Jefferson County, and Brazoria County. Banning plastic bags may come with unintended consequences - TechCrunch California and Hawaii already have . Course Hero, a tutoring business last valued by investors at $3.6 billion, has cut 15% of staff, or 42 people its first round of layoffs . You can conceive of the possibility of collecting plastic bags from the ocean, but microplastics are almost impossible to remove from their environments. Not So Fast | WIRED Plastic Bottles Plastic Bags California became the first to introduce regulations banning single-use plastic bags in August 2014. There was a 72 percent drop in grocery bag litter in the state just one year after it was fully implemented. But sales of garbage bags increased substantially and especially those small garbage bags that you know, are around the same size as the carryout back. In Staten Island, perhaps? ITS COMPOSTABLE! If someone wants a straw, they can ask and get it, no questions asked. CLIP: Its been more than five years since single-use plastic bags like these were banned from grocery stores, a ban advocates say made strides for the environment. The remaining 21 percent, of course, came from the Kardashians. And so this is a really tense issue around. The one perk with bans is that its by far the easiest policy to explain and enforce. And I also looked at not just shopping at a supermarket across the border but also eating out Instead of grocery shopping, and I do find that there is this, you know, substitution, this cross border shopping, some people do try to avoid going to, you know, regulated supermarkets, especially if they live near a border, where they can easily get to another another grocery store, while other customers if they dont live near a border, they might be slightly more likely to decide to eat out for dinner as opposed to grocery shopping, especially if they didnt bring their bags with them or that party. In all seriousness, theres drawbacks here too. [wrong buzz, rewind] Cracker? Special thanks to our Emperor Penguin patrons Lawrence Harris and Brownies Central. 1. What I found was a net benefit, we were still reducing more plastic than this rebound effect. Then Christmas is for you. Increasingly, environmentalists are pushing for laws that include fees for all single-use bags, and that require paper bags to be made with recycled content, which could lower their carbon footprint. 1- Out of all the bags that are currently available in the market, plastic bags are the most convenient for consumers. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. Problematic degradation 4. But what if reusable bags arent good either? ETHAN: Its true. You know, thats a bit of sort of the speculation of why these behavioral changes occurred. I mean, look at all the kids roaming the streets looking for water after eating a single Saltine. Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Or is it a little too nuanced to make that type of assessment? The adverse impacts of plastic bags are undeniable: When theyre not piling up in landfills, theyre blocking storm drains, littering streets, getting stuck in trees, and contaminating oceans, where fish, seabirds, and other marine animals eat them or get tangled up in them. First, we transport our fossil fuels to a type of petrochemical plant called a cracker. Cracker? Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. ETHAN: Beyond climate though, crackers cause a lot of issues for surrounding communities. Cracker? The Supreme Court Has Delayed Its Abortion Pill Decision. ITS INSATIABLE! Cracker? You would think five cents to reuse a bag would have a state similar behavioral response is five cents to not use a bag to have to pay for than plastic bag. And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. And what I found was the policies were very successful in reducing the amount of plastic carry out bags people used at supermarkets, it goes to zero as you would expect with a ban. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed by many retail businesses and require a charge of 10 cents or more for a recycled paper or reusable bag. Its what we put in the bag at the grocery store that really matters., 2023 Cond Nast. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast In addition to being my celebrity couple name with a girl named Polly, polyethylene is a string of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Paper does have its own environmental consequences in terms of how much energy it takes to generate, acknowledges Emily Norton, director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. Nielson & Associates Manhasset, NY : Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Thats a border shopping behavior. WIRED 181k followers More information Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? High costs for cleanup 8. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. So Im trained in thinking about how People respond to environmental [00:00:32] policy and particular and the policies that I focused on have been around waste and food. Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. What a deal! Also, this question is something like asking, Would you prefer to get a parking ticket or a tax assessment? It depends on the specifics, but its better to avoid both wherever possible. Goldstein is confident that if people switch to reusable bags, even cotton ones, and use them consistently, that will ultimately be better for the environment. Its like the Snapchat of ocean trash its no YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, but its still relevant. If you want to take two minutes to help out The Sweaty Penguin, you can either leave us a five star rating and review or join our Patreon at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin. According to the Ocean Conservancys 2020 Coastal Cleanup Report, plastic grocery bags ranked number 6 for trash in the ocean.

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