Surely you will know that the plastic contaminates the planet, since it accumulates in any corner of this and takes too long to start to degrade, even some plastic materials can remain almost intact centuries. In addition, some such as plastic bags damage the flora and fauna directly. For example, the Water pollution by plastic bags It causes thousands of fish and other animals such as cetaceans, turtles and birds to die.
Next, in ecology, we reveal you why The environmental impact of plastic bags is huge And what solutions can we implement.
Why plastic bags contaminate the environment
Plastic bags They consume large amounts of energy for their manufacture, are composed of substances Petroleum derivedwhich can take more than half a century to degrade. Also, serigraphy bags can contain toxic metal waste.
The vast majority ends up being discarded without control, contaminating both cities and natural ecosystems. In the sea its impact can be lethal for animals such as turtles, whales or dolphins, which die after ingesting or entangling them. For all this and more, the Environmental impact of plastic bags It is much worse than it may seem initially.
How to reduce plastic bags and their impact
The United States and the European Union consume 80% of world production, although its generalization in developing countries is aggravating the problem. In Spain, each citizen consumes on average per year 238 plastic bags: more than 97,000 tons, according to Cicoplast, which groups manufacturers and distributors of bags, of which 10%is barely recycled.
Therefore, some countries are raising various measures to reduce the use of plastic bags. A possible solution is to replace the material of these bags with other totally biodegradable materials. In Spain, the Ministry of Environment intends in a few years that 70% of the bags have such property. In France, a 2005 law on agrarian policy provides that in 2010 all plastic bags should be biodegradable. Likewise, awareness campaigns in this country have managed to reduce the use of conventional bags by 20 %.
Also, more and more inventions are being created to clean the plastic oceans.
What can I do to reduce the use of plastic bags
I may know this problem, now you ask yourself What can you do In this regard. These are just some ideas:
- Use fabric bags, wicker baskets and similar materials to replace purchase bags and to store things at home.
- If you buy few things avoid using bags, unless you wear your own purchase bag.
- Reuse the bags with original ideas for your home, for example create baskets.
- Recycle the bags correctly in the plastic container, the yellow one.
- If you see plastic bags on the ground or in the water, re -cover them and throw them to the right container.
- It helps to raise awareness among this problem and how to help rectify it, especially the little ones.
If you want to read more articles similar to The environmental impact of plastic bags is hugewe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.
