Article

Why do we need to Ban Plastic? Impact on Economy

Keywords: plastic, ban plastic, plastic bags, environment, marine life, economy

Economy vs Environment

Plastic bags have become part and parcel of our regular life. From tiny pens to used containers, plastics possess the lion’s share. Plastic bags, though helpful in many ways, have proven to be extremely harmful to the environment.

Plastic as a substance is non-biodegradable and thus plastic bags remain in the environment for hundreds of years, polluting it immensely. It has become very essential to ban plastic bags.

WHY DO WE NEED TO BAN PLASTIC? 

1. Negative impact on Environment: The majority of plastic bags are made of polypropylene, a material derived from petroleum and natural gas. Both of them are non-renewable fossil fuel-based resources, which contribute to global climate change.
2. High cost of Production: The production of plastic material is very energy intensive.
3. Threat to Marine Life: When plastics are washed away in oceans, they release toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer which end up in animal guts or ocean shorelines. Plastics sometimes are directly consumed by fish and other marine animals and these animals either die due to the entanglement of plastic components in organs and subsequent organ failures or the plastic ends up in their guts and enters the food chain.
4. Harmful to Human Health: Toxic chemicals from plastic bags can damage the blood and tissues. Frequent exposures can lead to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, hormone changes, endocrine disruption and other serious ailments.
5. Difficult to Decompose: It takes 500-1000 years for plastic to decompose and hence it is a permanent pollutant. Plastics are composed of long-chain polymers of carbon and are developed from mostly petroleum products. 

EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT OF BANNING PLASTIC

1. Marine life will Improve: Marine animals often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish or plankton, leading them to consume the litter and become ill or die.
2. Drainage Infrastructures will run more Efficiently: Plastic litter often clogs drainage systems, causing unnecessary flooding.
3. Plastic Bag Bans Reduce the need for Petroleum: Banning plastic bags will minimize the dependency on limited non-renewable resources.
4. Decrease the Mosquito Population: Discarded plastic bags collect rainwater and create a breeding ground for mosquitoes, some of which could carry the West Nile Virus or Triple E Virus.

EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY TO BAN PLASTIC

Have both positive and negative effect 

• Impact on Trade: The Plastic industry in the country employs about 40 lakh people which includes more than 30,000 processing units. A ban on plastics can affect the industry, posing questions about trade and employment.
• Best for Branding: Plastic bags offer the easiest way for printing the business logo, company name and other relevant information. Printing cost is very low compared to paper and cloth bags.
• Cheaper than Paper Cloth Packaging: A piece of paper bag costs more than a plastic bag. Purchasing plastic bags in large quantities will be beneficial for small businesses and improve profit margins.
• Size and Compact: Plastic bags are easy to open, pack and transport. That is the reason why they are used widely in the logistics and retail industries. In contrast, reusable cloth bags consume more space and are quite heavy.
• Plastic Bags Bans enhance the Economy: Bans on plastic bags cause an uptick in business for reusable bag manufacturers and lead to increased employment opportunities.
• Eliminating Plastic Bags reduces the Cost of Goods: Stores have to factor in the cost of disposable bags into their prices. By eliminating plastic bags, stores can lower prices,

CONCLUSION

Plastic bags affect many people, not only the consumers but plastic bags also affect the environment and animals. We are affected by plastic bags because we all dispose of them incorrectly. And because we are unaware of the consequences of using plastic bags. Plastic bags are extremely harmful to the environment because we use them in massive quantities.

Banning plastic is the need of the hour but one first needs to look at its repercussions on the economic situation of the countries. Any step to be taken should be weighed in terms of its impact on closures of plants and job losses that would lead to a rise in unemployment level at a time of economic downturn. A major decline in retail employment will occur.

Alternatives to plastic can be more beneficial or worsen, which is a separate debate in itself.

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AUTHOR: TANISHKA RANJAN

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