Whether you live in an urban megacity or rural farmland, you surely see plastic bags blowing around anytime you leave the house.
Some blow across roads like post-apocalyptic tumbleweed, while others become snagged in the branches of street trees. Still, others end up floating through our creeks and rivers until they find their way to the sea.
But while these plastic bags are certainly not pretty, they actually cause real, tangible harm to the greater environment.
Plastic bags tend to disrupt the environment in a serious way.
They get into the soil and slowly release toxic chemicals. They eventually break down into the soil, with the unfortunate result being that animals eat them and often choke and die.
Below, we’ll examine a few of the most significant problems they cause and discuss the extent of the problem.
Effects on humans
Due to the use of chemical additives during plastic production, plastics have potentially harmful effects that could prove to be carcinogenic or promote endocrine disruption. Some of the additives are used as phthalate plasticizers and brominated flame retardants. Through biomonitoring, chemicals in plastics, such as BPA and phthalates, have been identified in the human population. Humans can be exposed to these chemicals through the nose, mouth, or skin. Although the level of exposure varies depending on age and geography, most humans experience simultaneous exposure to many of these chemicals. Average levels of daily exposure are below the levels deemed to be unsafe, but more research needs to be done on the effects of low-dose exposure on humans. A lot is unknown about how severely humans are physically affected by these chemicals. Some of the chemicals used in plastic production can cause dermatitis upon contact with human skin. In many plastics, these toxic chemicals are only used in trace amounts, but significant testing is often required to ensure that the toxic elements are contained within the plastic by inert material or polymer.
It can also affect humans which may create an eyesore that interferes with the enjoyment of the natural environment.
Clinical significance
Due to the pervasiveness of plastic products, most of the human population is constantly exposed to the chemical components of plastics. 95% of adults in the United States have had detectable levels of BPA in their urine. Exposure to chemicals such as BPA has been correlated with disruptions in fertility, reproduction, sexual maturation, and other health effects. Specific phthalates have also resulted in similar biological effects.
Thyroid hormone axis
Bisphenol A affects gene expression related to the thyroid hormone axis, which affects biological functions such as metabolism and development. BPA can decrease thyroid hormone receptor (TR) activity by increasing TR transcriptional corepressor activity. This then decreases the level of thyroid hormone-binding proteins that bind to triiodothyronine. By affecting the thyroid hormone axis, BPA exposure can lead to hypothyroidism.
Sex hormones
BPA can disrupt normal, physiological levels of sex hormones. It does this by binding to globulins that normally bind to sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens, leading to the disruption of the balance between the two. BPA can also affect the metabolism or the catabolism of sex hormones. It often acts as an antiandrogen or as an estrogen, which can cause disruptions in gonadal development and sperm production.
Effects on animals
Plastic pollution has the potential to poison animals, which can then adversely affect human food supplies. Plastic pollution has been described as being highly detrimental to large marine mammals, described in the book Introduction to Marine Biology as posing the "single greatest threat" to them. Some marine species, such as sea turtles, have been found to contain large proportions of plastics in their stomach. When this occurs, the animal typically starves, because the plastic blocks the animal's digestive tract. Marine mammals sometimes become entangled in plastic products such as nets, which can harm or kill them.
Entanglement
Sea turtle entangled in a ghost net
Entanglement in plastic debris has been responsible for the deaths of many marine organisms, such as fish, seals, turtles, and birds. These animals get caught in the debris and end up suffocating or drowning. Because they are unable to untangle themselves, they also die from starvation or from their inability to escape predators. Being entangled also often results in severe lacerations and ulcers. In a 2006 report known as Plastic Debris in the World's Oceans, it was estimated that at least 267 different animal species have suffered from entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. It has been estimated that over 400,000 marine mammals perish annually due to plastic pollution in oceans. Marine organisms get caught in discarded fishing equipment, such as ghost nets. Ropes and nets used to fish are often made of synthetic materials such as nylon, making fishing equipment more durable and buoyant. These organisms can also get caught in circular plastic packaging materials, and if the animal continues to grow in size, the plastic can cut into its flesh. Equipment such as nets can also drag along the seabed, causing damage to coral reefs.
Ingestion Marine animals
Sea turtles are affected by plastic pollution. Some species are consumers of jellyfish but often mistake plastic bags for their natural prey. This plastic debris can kill the sea turtle by obstructing the oesophagus. So too are whales; large amounts of plastics have been found in the stomachs of beached whales In June 2018, more than 80 plastic bags were found inside a dying pilot whale that washed up on the shores of Thailand.
Some of the tiniest bits of plastic are being consumed by small fish, in a part of the pelagic zone in the ocean called the Mesopelagic zone, which is 200 to 1000 metres below the ocean surface, and completely dark. Not much is known about these fish, other than that there are many of them. They hide in the darkness of the ocean, avoiding predators and then swimming to the ocean's surface at night to feed. Plastics found in the stomachs of these fish were collected during Malaspina's circumnavigation, a research project that studies the impact of global change on the oceans. A study conducted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography showed that the average plastic content in the stomachs of 141 mesopelagic fish over 27 different species was 9.2%. Their estimate for the ingestion rate of plastic debris by these fish in the North Pacific was between 12000 and 24000 tons per year. The most popular mesopelagic fish is the lantern fish. It resides in the central ocean gyres, a large system of rotating ocean currents. Since lantern fish serve as a primary food source for the fish that consumers purchase, including tuna and swordfish, the plastics they ingest become part of the food chain. The lantern fish is one of the main bait fish in the ocean, and it eats large amounts of plastic fragments, which in turn will not make them nutritious enough for other fish to consume.
Deep sea animals have been found with plastics in their stomachs.
Birds
Plastic pollution does not only affect animals that live solely in oceans. Seabirds are also greatly affected. In 2004, it was estimated that gulls in the North Sea had an average of thirty pieces of plastic in their stomachs. Seabirds often mistake trash floating on the ocean's surface as prey. Their food sources often have already ingested plastic debris, thus transferring the plastic from prey to predator. Ingested trash can obstruct and physically damage a bird's digestive system, reducing its digestive ability and can lead to malnutrition, starvation, and death. Toxic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) also become concentrated on the surface of plastics at sea and are released after seabirds eat them. These chemicals can accumulate in body tissues and have serious lethal effects on a bird's reproductive ability, immune system, and hormone balance. Floating plastic debris can produce ulcers, and infections and lead to death. Marine plastic pollution can even reach birds that have never been in the sea. Parents may accidentally feed their nestlings plastic, mistaking it for food. Seabird chicks are the most vulnerable to plastic ingestion since they can't regurgitate like the adult seabirds.
After the initial observation that many of the beaches in New Zealand had high concentrations of plastic pellets, further studies found that different species of prion ingest the plastic debris. Hungry prions mistook these pellets for food, and these particles were found intact within the birds' gizzards and proventriculi. Pecking marks similar to those made by northern fulmars in cuttlebones have been found in plastic debris, such as styrofoam, on the beaches on the Dutch coast, showing that this species of bird also mistakes plastic debris for food.
An estimated 1.5 million Laysan albatrosses, that inhabit Midway Atoll, all have plastics in their digestive system. Midway Atoll is halfway between Asia and North America, and north of the Hawaiian archipelago. In this remote location, the plastic blockage has proven deadly to these birds. These seabirds choose red, pink, brown, and blue plastic pieces because of similarities to their natural food sources. As a result of plastic ingestion, the digestive tract can be blocked resulting in starvation. The windpipe can also be blocked, which results in suffocation. The debris can also accumulate in the animal's gut, and give them a false sense of fullness which would also result in starvation. On the shore, thousands of bird corpses can be seen with plastic remaining where the stomach once was. The durability of the plastics is visible among the remains. In some instances, the plastic piles are still present while the bird's corpse has decayed.
Similar to humans, animals exposed to plasticizers can experience developmental defects. Specifically, sheep have been found to have lower birth weights when prenatally exposed to bisphenol A. Exposure to BPA can shorten the distance between the eyes of a tadpole. It can also stall development in frogs and can result in a decrease in body length. In different species of fish, exposure can stall egg hatching and result in a decrease in body weight, tail length, and body length.
The Solution to reduce plastic bag
Importance of Using Paper Bags
By selecting high-quality paper bags manufacturers can deliver recycled brown colour paper bags in big and small quantities, regular and premium paper bags which add a professional touch that consumers love and appreciate. Besides, you can add your own custom brand to any paper bag to promote your business. Read on to discover the importance of paper bags.
- Plastic bags cause environmental damage such as increasing the level of air pollution. Plastic bags not only have adverse effects on our natural habitats, the death of many animals. Plastic bags are not renewable and you need UV rays to destroy them, which harms the environment. Paper bags on the other hand are environment friendly and can be recycled.
- Paper bags are usually made from wood. So, these bags can be produced into a new paper like newspapers, magazines or books. Waste papers are also biodegradable so they can be easily degenerate and do not pile up on dump sites.
- You can also buy them at a very cheap price particularly if they are bought wholesale.
- Possessing a paper bag is practical and you can use it to bring your groceries the premium quality paper bags can be used as paper gift bags.
- Most people nowadays prefer using paper bags because they are easy to carry, neat and can hold many items. It adds to your status symbol as they can be embossed and grained to enhance the look.
- Paper bags are usually used extensively in malls and exhibitions for delivering over-the-counter products as research shows that paper bags contain at least 35% recycled material.
- Corporations are nowadays using paper bags for promotions, seminars, product packaging, and branding purposes as they are competitively priced.
- Paper bag manufacturers can help you to decide the right size and type of paper bags as per your project, budget and quantity.
- You can choose paper bags with special properties that will seal the freshness and give an aesthetic look to your brand as offset and screen printing is possible.
- When your product is properly packaged with premium quality paper bags, you can attract more customers which will help in promoting your brand to the target audience.
So, if you are eco-friendly and at the same time want to be ahead of your competitors, start using paper bags.
Use of paper bags in Village's shop
Village people are against plastic bags Because they can make their paper bags at home, and if they sell them to any shop they can earn money, It is also safe for our environment as well as our bodies, and it can make people like women in every house happy to earn money.
Paper bags are gaining importance as these bags are 100% reusable, recyclable and biodegradable and at the same time environment friendly and pose less threat to wildlife. it requires less energy for paper bags to be recycled than plastic bags. Paper bags have come a long way since their beginnings in the mid-eighteenth century when some paper bag manufacturers started developing paper bags that are more hardy and long-lasting. The paper bags are generally box-shaped in design allowing them to stand upright and hold more goods. Corporates are using paper bags for promotions, seminars, product packaging and branding purposes.
There are some pictures of paper bags made on village people
Tips to Use Less Plastic
Did you know that of the 30 million tons of plastic waste generated in the US in 2009, only 7 per cent was recovered for recycling? Here are 17 ways to reduce your plastic waste:
- Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. If a straw is a must, purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass straw
- Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. Purchase or make your own reusable produce bag and be sure to wash them often!
- Give up gum. Gum is made of a synthetic rubber, aka plastic.
- Buy boxes instead of bottles. Often, products like laundry detergent come in cardboard which is more easily recycled than plastic.
- Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. You save money and unnecessary packaging.
- Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.
- Use a reusable bottle or mug for your beverages, even when ordering from a to-go shop
- Bring your own container for take-out or your restaurant doggy bag since many restaurants use styrofoam.
- Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invest in a refillable metal lighter.
- Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic. Even those that appear to be cardboard are coated in a thin layer of plastic. Plus you'll be eating fewer processed foods!
- Don't use plasticware at home and be sure to request restaurants not pack them in your take-out box.
- Ask your local grocer to take your plastic containers (for berries, tomatoes, etc.) back. If you shop at a farmers market they can refill it for you.
- The EPA estimates that 7.6 billion pounds of disposable diapers are discarded in the US each year. Use cloth diapers to reduce your baby's carbon footprint and save money.
- Make fresh squeezed juice or eat fruit instead of buying juice in plastic bottles. It's healthier and better for the environment.
- Make your own cleaning products that will be less toxic and eliminate the need for multiple plastic bottles of cleaner.
- Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Also, opt for fresh fruits and veggies and bulk items instead of products that come in single-serving cups.
- Use a razor with replaceable blades instead of a disposable razor
