Reduce
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Being the most important act, Reducing the use of plastic bags can be very effective as it also reduces waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 380 billion plastic bags are used in the U.S. each year with about 95% being wasted, clogging drains, adding to landfills, and contaminating landscapes and the ocean.
One of the forms of pollution is in landfills. Due to plastic bags being made from fossil fuels, they do not decompose nor degrade quickly. It takes a single bag anywhere from 10 to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. For plastic to fully break down, it must be exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, a process known as photodegradation. During this process, oxygen molecules intertwine with the polymer molecules causing the plastic to break down into microscopic synthetic granules for microorganisms to metabolize it and turn it into bioplastic molecules or carbon dioxide and other toxins. Scientists have attempted to speed up the process as it takes about 50 years to complete. However, only 8.2% of disposed plastic was able to be recovered due to plastic being mixed up with other waste. Furthermore, plastic bags tend to be used as trash bags which is another reason most of them end up in landfills.
Moreover, plastic bags are a huge problem for the ocean as well, contributing to 80% of the plastic that pollutes it. In the ocean, photodegradation is sped up by the physical friction of waves. The plastic then turns into smaller pieces accounting for most of the flecks and fragments were seen on the surface and below, of which people have called plastic confetti or plastic soup. As plastic remains in the ocean, it has become the main threat to marine organisms. Plastic bags have affected at least 267 different species and kill about 100,000 marine animals a year. These animals mistake the bags for food, such as jellyfish, and therefore digest them. After being consumed, plastic can even alter the biological composition of marine organisms such as changing the sex of fish, thus disrupting the reproduction cycles of marine species.
Reuse:
While reducing the overall use of plastic bags is the most effective, there will still be a necessity for some sort of carriage. However, while people continue to use plastic bags, one important thing to consider is that they can be reused. Plastic bags are only used for an average of 12 minutes before they are thrown out. While they are often used to line trash bins, they are still considered single-use. However, they don’t have to be as they are resistant enough to be used up to 9 times, which could contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and overall environmental impact by such factor.
Moreover, another option is investing in a reusable bag. However, it is important to consider its material before purchasing it if the goal is to reduce the environmental impact. The two main types of reusable bags are made from woven cotton and non-woven polypropylene. While cotton bags (or totes) help reduces the use of plastic, they are not necessarily environmentally friendly. The total carbon footprint of these bags (including growing, manufacturing and transportation) accumulates to a total of about 271 kg of CO2, in comparison to a single-use plastic bag that only emits 1.6 kg. In order to make an impact, a woven cotton bag must be used 131 times, making it difficult to substitute plastic bags in terms of carbon emissions. However, this is when non-woven polypropylene bags make a much bigger difference.
Recycle
Aside from being reused, another main reason people disregard the number of plastic bags they use is due to the assumption that the bags will be recycled. However, only 1% of plastic bags are actually recycled. This is because recycling while seeming simple, is actually a difficult process. During the recycling process, plastic bags get stuck in the equipment. In order to fix it, the machinery must be shut down, which would require a lot of energy and thus emit CO2 in order to power it back up. However, even though only 1% is recycled, if the number was increased, there would be a much bigger positive impact. Although recycling requires energy, it has proven to be effective in less burning of fossil fuels, thus reducing the carbon footprint. According to a study conducted at Stanford, in 2016, recycling saved a total of 70,481 BTUs of energy, enough to power about 613 homes for a year. It also conserved 12,131 barrels of oil or 567,301 gallons of gasoline, reducing CO2 emissions by 2,447 metric tons. As for plastic specifically, one ton of recycled plastic [bags] would save 5,774 kWh of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million BTUs of energy, and 30 cubic yards of landfill space.