Battle of the Bag

The one local impact of plastic bag waste that I found particularly concerning was the level to which it was affecting animals. I, like most people, have seen the advertisements in which a sea turtle or bird is entangled in a plastic bag or soda rings. However, I wasn’t entirely aware of the level to which plastic was affecting these animals. The sea turtles in Texas and the cows in India that were dying from the ingestion of these plastics served to highlight the issue, as the amount of plastic in the digestive tracts of these animals was mind boggling.

The method of managing plastic bag waste that I found to be the most interesting was the SWAT team in India, dedicated to enforcing laws against thin, single use plastic bags. I found it particularly fascinating simply because of the uniqueness of the situation. Nowhere else in the world has a law enforcement unit specifically tasked with plastic bags, and this situation in India is a warning to the rest of the world of the negative impact that plastic bag waste can have if left unchecked.

It is my opinion that we should deal with plastic bag waste exactly as it was demonstrated at the end of the documentary. It should happen on a semi-local scale, with each locale making their own decision on the matter, deciding whether or not to ban plastic bags. Eventually, these local policy decisions will add up on a global scale. The reason that I find this method to be the best is because global and national policy can take a very long time to pass, and also because it is my opinion that each separate locale should be free to make their own decision on the matter. As far as whether or not plastic bags are misunderstood, I wouldn’t be able to comment on the matter. I’d need to see more numbers and data surrounding plastic bag waste, as well as some of the methods of recycling that could be employed.  A general lack of statistics would be my main criticism of the documentary as well.

Link to EPA Trash Free Waters Resources: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters

Seal stuck in plastic