You would be surprised of how much landfill plastic bags take up. Plastic bags is the main reason why so much wildlife is dying in our land and water.All reasonable people think that plastic bags is the main litter of the world and that’s why it should be banned in Australia to keep our wild life and our animals safe. In our lands and in our seas, around two hundred plastic bags is being dumped in our landfill every hour and four million eight hundred thousand plastic bags a day; you must be crazy to think that number is okay for our animals and to keep a sustainable world.I am sure you will agree that plastic bags kill our wildlife.
They not only kill marine animals, but also animals on land. Many species are already becoming endangered as it is. These bags are adding to the death toll of animals and it could increase their chances of being endangered, or even extinct. About one million mammals and sea birds die per year due to ingesting plastic bags (which is mistaken as food) the animals die a slow and death usually by choking. About one hundred thousand marine mammals die per year by eating these bags.These plastic bags are made of a substance called polyethylene.
Polyethylene is a type of petroleum. Petroleum is a major energy source such as heating, electricity, lighting, etc. About four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year. We are wasting all of this petroleum on plastic when it could be used for more important things like heat and electricity. The sad thing is out of five trillion bags, only one percent are being recycled it takes one thousand years to break down, making them non-biodegradableIf you were to examine the manufacturing process behind these bags, you would find that there is a much smaller carbon footprint in the production of plastic bags than there is in the production of paper bags. What about reusable bags? These bags are typically made of a more dense plastic material that is more durable. It is true that in the past, we as a society did not properly recycle, especially when it came to plastic materials.
Now that we are more environmentally conscious, we are better using technology to break down plastics, so they can now be used in other products. In fact, if recycled appropriately in compactors, plastic bags can be broken down and then utilized in decking or playground equipment, among other items.Surprisingly, plastic bags have a major impact on the world, animals and our environment. We only have one world so more precaution should be enforced in taking care of it. Put yourself in the animal’s shoes, would you like it if rubbish came in your property?
