Are plastic bags really that damaging to the environment?

Question

For a while some of us have been using the same bags for months on end, and making everyone else feel guilty about using endless plastic bags. Supermarkets have begun to charge for them, offering large bags for continued use, and soon the Government is bound to cash inby introducing some sort of tax.

But I heard that the bags are a by-product of oil waste, and if they were not produced, the waste would just be burned. Also, scentists reckon plastic takes a thousand years to decompose (on this site someone recently claimed "millions of years."). yet I know of someone who kept momentos in a cupboard for forty years...and the bag has disintegrated.

Some speak highly of bags made from willow or other substances...but where does that leave the issue of oil waste?

Answer 1

they are bad for the environment in that they require energy to produce you use them once then you put them in the landfill where they never deteriorate because they do not get any oxidation to break down. If a bag is left at the surface it breaks down fairly quickly, and is in fact recyclable.

I use cloth bags that I have bought for a modest fee and my store pays me to use them (remember they have to buy every plastic bag they give you) I have paid for my bags many times over. And they are MUCH easier to stack in the car and carry into the house.

Answer 2

These plastic bags should break down under Sun light. It should not be harmful to the environment but my guess is they might be harmful to birds and wildlife. This is why they want to ban plastic bags not because they are bad for environment but bad for birds and sewage.

Paper is better because they cut down a tree then they planet 3-7 trees to replace them. Paper bags can be recycled as well and better than plastic bags.

Answer 3

Many of the supermarket bags are now showing a recycle code on their bags.  I've seen many 2's, which are always recyclable.  So don't forget to look at your bags for that symbol and recycle accordingly. We can bring larger bags with us when we're doing other shopping than food shopping.  But we're still putting a lot of plastic bags in landfills. But don't be so fast to switch to the brown paper bags.  They aren't much better for the environment.  They emit carcinogens when they burn.  So at least for your groceries, purchase the reusable canvas, and fiber woven bags that most supermarkets offer now... usually very cheap.  I've got loads of them.  It doesn't matter where you bought them or what store name is on them... use any label in any market.  We can't always be perfect about recycling, but we can sure do our best and make an effort.

Answer 4

plastic bags are horrible for the environment they get left out fly away and can kill animals also if you throw them away they get put in land fills and polute the earth

Answer 5

acutally, plastic bags are made using oil, not oil waste. so they really aren't good for the environment. and forty year old disintegrated bag...if a bag is thrown away, it gets put in a landfill. there, it won't be exposed to air, water or other natural forces that would decompose it. ssoooo, overall, plastic=not good (:

Answer 6

Plastic bags are bad for the environment from the moment they are produced, to their eventual disposition in a landfill or as part of improperly disposed of waste (i.e. roadside trash).

The manner in which they are produced emits CO2 (like most petroleum-based products), a major green-house gas, and, while they are produced from the un-usable by-products of oil production, the only real service they provide is to carry your groceries from the store to the car to the house.  This function can be carried out by a re-usable bag, v.s a bag that will be thrown away immediately.  

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They  cannot be recycled into much, but most people don't recycle them anyway.

Answer 7

Just like the Fat drives and metal drives of world war two it is up to the consumer to recycle plastic bags. Yes they are quite recyclable and when combined with sawdust they are used to make outdoor patio flooring and other components.

  One barrel of oil will produce about 50,000 plastic bags of supermarket size. At a very low energy cost. In fact the same plastic used to make most of your Eco-bags is derived from that waste. They cost more energy in the long run (reusable bags) and they are taxed that’s why the government likes them.

   Paper bags require more energy, Do not degrade in landfills as fast as you think (40 years average), and require the cutting down of trees to produce.

  I always ask for plastic, I reuse them at home and what I don’t use goes into the recycling center.  When people ask why I don’t use paper, I just tell them how much oil it takes to cut down and process a tree into a paper bag… about 1000 plastic bags worth.

Answer 8

I concur that plastic bags are bad for the environment -- especially after visiting a landfill where most of the bags ended up in the trees. However, reusing plastic bags has become quite popular (even Target bags list ways to reuse the plastic bag, and I use them as trashcan liners and such in the bathrooms). The problem with paper bags is that I can't just tie them up and throw it in the back seat. Anyway, if they can figure out a biodegradable version of the "plastic bag", I'd be more than happy to use it. I just think paper bags aren't as useful overall and are difficult to manage.