Plastic Is Poison By Layal Barakat. G 7E Qatar Academy

Plastic bags are popular with consumers and retailers as they are a functional, lightweight, strong, cheap, and hygienic way to transport food and other products.

The plastic bags are so inexpensive that in the stores no one treats them as worth anything, they use two, three, or four when one would do just as well.

The excess use of plastic bags in our daily lives has exceeded our needs, The other day my family and I went to a supermarket, and purchased around 7 items, the employee packed the items in five bags, when we clearly needed two. This is an indication of un- awareness by the staff of the plastic bag problem facing our environment.

According to Cobb's calculations extrapolated from data released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 on U.S. plastic bag, sack, and wrap consumption, somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Of those, millions end up in the litter stream outside of landfills—estimates range from less than one to three percent of the bags.

About 100,000 animals are killed every year due to plastic bags.

And one of the worst environmental effects of plastic bags is that they are non- biodegradable. The decomposition of plastic bags takes about 1000 years.

Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.

A study in 1975, showed ocean-going vessels dumped 8 million pounds of plastic waste each year. The real reason the world’s landfills weren’t overflowing with plastic was because most was in an ocean fill.

Not only does plastic have an impact on our environment it is also hazardous to us humans. Once plastic is dumped into landfills or oceans, it starts to break down into smaller pieces which is consumed by marine life and animals which mistake it for food, this process goes on and enters the food chain by eating plastic contaminated food thus causing cancer and other diseases.

We can all participate in stopping this plastic contamination with simple methods: 1- Reduce usage. 2- Reuse. 3- Recycle. 4- Replacing plastic bags with biodegradable bags.

Cotton bag has become the new way to help stop the pollution.

Many shoppers need to start using reusable cotton bags.

Petroleum products are diminishing and getting more expensive by the day, Petroleum is vital for our modern way of life and is necessary for our energy requirements. To make plastic, about million barrels of oil are needed every year around the world, this precious resource should not be wasted on producing plastic bags.

From the above paragraphs, you must have understood the harmful effects of plastic bags on environment, they are a major pollutant for a green environment use alternatives to plastic bags whenever and wherever possible, do your bit to save our planet.

Sources & Credits Cobb’s calculations. National Geographic.. Plastic Bag Report COG Staff, Department of Environmental Programs October 14, 2009.