A single mom, or someone working two jobs, is more likely to have to do her shopping in a rush on the way home from work than to go out specifically with a tote bag in hand. How do we make polyethylene? To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. And thats definitely a behavioral effect that we find. So its a bit nuanced. Many supermarkets have experimented with bag bonuses trying to get people to reuse their either bags by giving them five cents, and they havent found them to be particularly effective. I personally dont care much what kind of bag my groceries are in, Id even take a Hello Kitty bag if it meant my eggs got home without breaking, but Im sure some people really love their plastic bags, and for those that do, this is certainly an intriguing possibility. ETHAN: Welcome to episode 106 of The Sweaty Penguin: Antarcticas Hottest Podcast. Thats primarily because more energy is required to produce and transport paper bags. So I was really interested to see what the data would say about this were people having to buy more garbage bags now that the plastic bags that they got from grocery stores were no longer available. In fact, they may even feel too awkward to ask for one. And if not, then maybe totes arent the best alternative. It argues that while banning plastic bags may be good for the environment, it is not as simple as it seems. And so in terms of ranking those, that would be my order, taxes, hybrid bands, and then least preferred standalone bands. For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids flow. Washington, D.C.s government estimates that its 5-cent bag tax has led to a 60 percent reduction in the number of these bags being used, although that figure is contested by other sources. But sales of garbage bags increased substantially and especially those small garbage bags that you know, are around the same size as the carryout back. [wrong buzz, rewind] Cracker? ETHAN: Now, it is worth noting that a single-use plastic grocery bag takes about 20 years to break down in the environment about as long as it takes the average to break down. A New Computer Proof Blows Up Centuries-Old Fluid Equations. Already in Massachusetts, 32 towns and cities have passed bag bans or fees. And an estimated 10 million tons of plastic are discarded in the ocean yearly. Thats the percentage the Massachusetts Sierra Club has advocated for at the state level and when lobbying for municipal bag rules. 12:48 PM PDT March 16, 2023. Eastern Hemlocks Are Declining. But what if reusable bags arent good either? I hardly know her! Only 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24 percent of the global market for insecticides and 11 percent for pesticides, the World Wildlife Fund reports. Its like excuses for not doing your homework. Like cigarettes, plastic bags have recently gone from a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised and discouraged vice. How Can Soy Reduce Its Environmental Impact? So have at least 88 localities in California, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus cities and towns in more than a dozen other states and more than a dozen other countries. But for UPROSE, that concern is outweighed by the negative impacts of plastic bags on disadvantaged communities. I took a look at a 2017 Congressional Report which found the petrochemical industry was, at the time, pursuing 48 new plastics-related projects in the Houston area. Wait, sorry, wrong kind of cracker. Instagram, Follow us on Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. So if its, if it makes it into the environment, it stays there, it breaks into smaller pieces, it gets blown around the world, many different ecosystems. Choking the oceans with Plastics. Not only are there these human health concerns, but crackers and other petrochemical facilities are not located very fairly. There are also some challenges regarding the design of such a policy, as Dr. Taylor explains. Oil and natural gas are also made of carbon and hydrogen, so in addition to using them for energy, we process them into plastic. [bell ring] Like blueberries or trips to the bathroom, not all plastics are created equal, and single-use plastic bags are typically made from a material called high-density polyethylene. And so I was interested in understanding to what degree does a patchwork of policies actually lead customers to switch where theyre shopping. the more right . Different studies say different things, but the point is clear: even though paper bags are much better for the environment in the disposal stage, the rest of the supply chain is riddled with problems. [slam the wrong buzz several times, then rewind] Okay, okay cracker? And in particular, stores start offering thicker plastic bags and sticker paper bags for free. Again, Im not referring to carbon emissions, Im talking nitrous oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, smog, Sagittariuses, really bad stuff. ETHAN: And youve written several papers on plastic bags, Ill start with your paper that won the Journal of Environmental Economics and Managements Best Paper Prize in 2020, which discussed some of the unintended consequences of plastic bag bans. Every time you need to process a new batch of polyethylene, you bring it to the facility and say, Polly want a cracker? [ding ding ding] Wow, that was a tough one. Anything thats not zero gets, you know a pretty big impact. Others, like in New York City, treat all single-use bags equally. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Its taken long enough. ETHAN: And the list of policy approaches goes on and on. In a queer vacation hot spot on Cape Cod, an ad hoc community proved that Americans can stifle large outbreaksif they want to. And so because of that bands have been more popular. CLIP: Its been more than five years since single-use plastic bags like these were banned from grocery stores, a ban advocates say made strides for the environment. Its not easy being a green consumer, in part because there are these different dimensions of environmental impact. How bad was Tucker Carlson for the planet. Not So Fast" by Ben Adler focuses on the states attempting to end giving out plastic bags for free hoping to reduce plastic waste. In 2018 though, 68.1 percent of paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling, which is a really impressive number, although its worth noting that paper fibers become weaker each time theyre recycled, so there are still limitations to that. So I wont rehash it all today, but if you listen to our episodes on fracking or the Permian Basin or the Haynesville Shale, youll learn a little bit about the villain origin story of plastic bags, and some of the many issues to which they contribute. But what if reusable bags arent good either? Cotton tote bags dont fare well either. But when ethylene gas escapes the facility and is exposed to sunlight, it turns to smog, which has been associated with increased rates of asthma, lung and respiratory infections, and cardiovascular problems. Every year, around 500 billion plastic grocery bags are used worldwide. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but it's the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. If someone wants a straw, they can ask and get it, no questions asked. This episode of The Sweaty Penguin explores a wide range of issues including plastic bag manufacturing and looks at the shortcomings of some proposed solutions. What Comes Next for Venezuelas Oil Industry? Now, a new law hopes to take things a step further by banning these: single-use plastic pre-checkout bags that are not recyclable and can contaminate compost facilities. Talk about consistency! Paper bags do have some pros over plastic theyre biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable, all the fun -ables. Im your host, Ethan Brown. With a referendum in November 2016, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures, which keeps an active list of American laws. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? But thats not to say plastic bag recycling couldnt be more widely implemented. Seeing how nuanced this issue is, I asked Dr. Taylor what the next steps could look like. When the plastic bags were banned in California, paper bags were still allowed with the feet. The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. But theres also so much nuance to this issue, and its important to consider these consequences of bag bans as we come up with the best possible solutions. As great as it is to see policy efforts get going, we want to hold them accountable and make sure they actually make the biggest positive impact possible. Any time someone needs bags, make a trip to the back to get them and have them wait. If your chief concern is climate change, things get even muddier. Unlike reusable fabric bags, plastic bags can take lifetimes to biodegrade.Over that time, their light weight allows them to be carried long distances, causing environmental havoc along the way. Now, there are a few challenges to implementing a monetary policy like this. One reason plastic bags should be banned is that they hurt the environment. The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. Eat one less meat dish a week thats what will have a real impact on the environment, says Tyler. Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the US, particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. Now, Im not sure how far along plant plastic or CO2 plastic are in the development process, but certainly very exciting possibilities if they could scale up. Then Oregon, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont passed laws against them. Nielson & Associates Manhasset, NY : Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? If a plastic bag is reused in the home as the garbage bag in a bathroom waste bin, does that reduce its footprint by eliminating the need for another small plastic garbage bag? And honestly, a little sketchy that ethylene cant handle sunlight. Plastic bags are not biodegradable and can do great harms to wildlife. And these different dimensions? But advocates of these laws and journalists who cover the issue often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. . Both authors of these essays specifically speak about how the use of plastic can be harmful for the mother-nature, and have introduced ways to compensate this loss. Twitter, Follow us on Its taken long enough. The Bad Astronomer Takes You on a Tour of the Cosmos. As longtime plastic bag adversary Ian Frazier recently reported in The New Yorker, In 2014, plastic grocery bags were the seventh most common item collected during the Ocean Conservancys International Coastal Cleanup, behind smaller debris such as cigarette butts, plastic straws, and bottle caps. The New York City Sanitation Department collects more than 1,700 tons of single-use carry-out bags every week, and has to spend $12.5 million a year to dispose of them. What if they used solar or wind? ETHAN: Hopefully ethylene makes its What We Do In The Shadows debut in season five. Cities and states across the country are banning plastic bags, but those bans may be having unintended consequences. ETHAN: Plastic bag bans also can negatively affect businesses. And so whats really interesting is just adding a small price to each, each bag, you know, five cents, we see really large behavioral changes just with that small price. Not So Fast' by Ben Adler & 'Choking the oceans with plastic' by Charles J. Moore. People look at [paper] and say its degradable, therefore its much better for the environment, but its not in terms of climate change impact, says David Tyler, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon who has examined the research on the environmental impact of bag use. People look at [paper] and say its degradable, therefore its much better for the environment, but its not in terms of climate change impact, says David Tyler, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon who has examined the research on the environmental impact of bag use. Its like trying to send paper through a really old copier. Last month, the New York City Council passed a 5-cent-per-bag fee on single-use bags handed out by most retailers. ETHAN: So where do we go from here? Did you just finish trick or treating? And behavioral economics really explores a lot of that. New York's ban will take effect in 2020 but will apply to single-use plastic bags you can get at grocery stores or retailers. If we do that, well see less polluted oceans, improved public health, and maybe, for the first time in history, Polly wont want a cracker. New York State and Hawaii just passed theirs, set to go into effect in 2020, and California's bag ban, which was passed in 2014, has been shown to have reduced plastic bag usage by 85 percent . As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. And when I no longer had access to those carry out bags, it meant I didnt have this quote unquote, free source of garbage bags anymore. Does it get recycled? Plastic, on the other hand, lasts for a long time. If you want to take two minutes to help out The Sweaty Penguin, you can either leave us a five star rating and review or join our Patreon at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin. Advocates for plastic bag bans often neglect to ask what will replace plastic bags and what the environmental impact of that replacement will be. I mean, I know it loves to hang at the cracker plants and all but wouldnt it have more fun hanging out with other creatures of the night? And buy the thinnest reusable bag that you know, youll actually reuse. Thats leading to a split in the anti-bag movement. As such, many people suggest accompanying measures to distribute free reusable bags, and the tax could even be used to raise the money to make that happen. [knock on door, door creaks open, then Laszlo starts coughing uncontrollably]. As compared to plastic bags, paper bags also require significantly more energy and water to manufacture, and more energy to transport since theyre heavier. Killing wildlife 5. Facebook, Follow us on It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? It honestly sounds like a superhero, doesnt it? Climate change, they say, isnt the only form of environmental degradation to worry about. Now thats just one set of data, but I hope my point is clear: the production of our plastic bags causes harmful air pollution, and that pollution disproportionately hits low income and minority communities. In some cases, people start buying more plastic trash bags now that they cant use their grocery bags to store trash. [wind blowing, floors creaking, various night time sounds]. Rather than automatically using a bag, just ask the customer for. Twitter, Follow us on The Supreme Court Has Delayed Its Abortion Pill Decision. [end filter] Never mind, that was underwhelming. Not good places to be adding more polluting facilities. And to be fair, it is an issue. (The crunchy rich should already have more than enough tote bags from PBS and Whole Foods.). Thats right, I said it. Okay, maybe Im going overboard, but honestly, if it were a small ordeal to get a single-use bag, I could see the inconvenience of that motivating people to bring their reusable bags to the store a whole lot more than a five or ten cent tax. High costs for cleanup 8. In accordance with the budge bill passed last year, New York State retailers will be banned from doling out single-use plastic bags, starting on March 1. Even then, the question remains as to whether single-use bags are necessarily always worse than reusable ones. Maybe call the manager over or fly the CEO in on a helicopter or pull the fire alarm so everyone starts screaming and running. For example, I talked in our plastic straws episode about something called default choice modification. Produce sellers in this busy agricultural hub 95 miles. TAYLOR: Its a great question, I would say its a bit nuanced, because that was just respect with respect to the plastic bags. What do they think this is, a Ritz quick scheme? There are so very many variables. TAYLOR: So an interesting thing with local policies, and theres a lot of debate about whether policies like these should be implemented at the state level or at the local level. Harmful to human health 6. 4 Absent the fee, which provides the economic incentive to bring reusable bags to the store, simple bans tend to shift consumers from one type . Problematic degradation 4. Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a measure that would ban plastic bags from being dispensed In fact, it may not even be the most effective option. I guess the name does make sense. And so I think, and subsidies can be quite expensive for governments to run or source to run. Plastic bags are made from non-renewable sources and on this account, highly contribute to climate change. The ideal city bag policy would probably involve charging for paper and plastic single-use bags, as New York City has decided to do, while giving out reusable recycled-plastic bags to those who need them, especially to low-income communities and seniors. Solar and wind companies are coming to rural Texas. Reader support helps sustain our work. Its been more than five years since single-use plastic bags like these were banned from grocery stores, a ban advocates say made strides for the environment. Its what we put in the bag at the grocery store that really matters.. But studies conducted in Australia or Europe have limited applicability in the U.S., particularly when youre considering climate impact, because every country has a different energy mix. Not So Fast" by Ben Adler and the essay "Choking The Oceans With Plastic" by Charles J. Moore they both pose a connection and an area of disagreement. Cracker? Whereas the small taxes are very effective. And those seven ethylene projects are concentrated in just three counties in Texas: Harris County, Jefferson County, and Brazoria County. ETHAN: Obviously, this is a ridiculously nuanced issue, and while it might not be the most pressing concern of our generation, its absolutely worth discussing, especially given how popular the topic has been. If you melt a plastic bag down, you can absolutely recycle that polyethylene, and in fact, recycled high-density polyethylene has about a third of the carbon footprint of virgin high-density polyethylene. How Do We Protect Them? Plastic bag bans havent fixed the entire problem where theyve been implemented. Theyre just not very effective. NADJA: Its perfectly harmless, Laszlo. Scientists believe lasting symptoms following a coronavirus infection is not a single disorder. Now a hybrid ban, where you ban a particular thin plastic or film plastic, as long as theres also consideration for the other types of bags such as paper bags, and reusable bags, and requiring stores to charge for those other bags. The one perk with bans is that its by far the easiest policy to explain and enforce. In that case, it was the simple act of instead of automatically giving customers a straw with their drink, bringing the drink without a straw. Have a listen. Are Plastic Bag Bans a Solution? 500 billion plastic grocery bags are used worldwide. Some social justice activists who work in low-income urban neighborhoods or communities of color also argue that plastic bags are a particular scourge. Its like when your boss bans YouTube at work, so everyone jumps to Discord. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. In fact, the only place they havent been is Dave and Busters. All that said, paper is made from trees, meaning paper bags contribute to deforestation. These residents are trying to keep them out. Before I jump in, were trying out a little bit of a different format today. Never mind, that was underwhelming. And now theyre using a thicker product with more packaging. Increasingly, environmentalists are pushing for laws that include fees for all single-use bags, and that require paper bags to be made with recycled content, which could lower their carbon footprint. Even studies conducted with the purest of intentions depend on any number of assumptions. Often they need to be reused at least 100, if not more times, to be more environmentally friendly than those thin plastic bags that were so familiar with. A lot of the waste ends up in our communities, says Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, an environmental and social justice-oriented community organization in Brooklyn. Or, another idea, what if plastic could be made directly from carbon dioxide that we suck from the atmosphere? How do we make polyethylene? In the last couple weeks, I believe around five of our team members got sick, so weve been struggling a little bit! There are many factors to consider when looking at the environmental impact of plastic bags, and also paper bags may not be as environmentally friendly as people think. The ideal city bag policy would probably involve charging for paper and plastic single-use bags, as New York City has decided to do, while giving out reusable recycled-plastic bags to those who need them, especially to low-income communities and seniors. When we got rid of the carry out bags, people had to start purchasing garbage bags. And the question that I had was, how does banning this plastic carry out bag affect the use of other types of plastic bags, and in particular, garbage bags, because as a consumer myself, I knew that I reused many of my carry out grocery bags as garbage bags. Plastic bags not only destroy the physical infrastructure, she says, referring to the way they clog up storm drains and other systems, they contribute to emissions. And she points out that marine plastic pollution is a threat to low-income people who fish for their dinner: So many frontline communities depend on food coming from the ocean. Thats why her group supported New York Citys bag fee even though its more of a burden on lower-income citizens. And the most common substitute, paper bags, may be just as bad or worse, depending on the environmental problem youre most concerned about. I mean, I know it loves to hang at the cracker plants and all but wouldnt it have more fun hanging out with other creatures of the night? How do we do that? So if its something thats easy to keep in your car, or in your purse or in your backpack that you know youll reuse, then thats going to be the bag for you. Whos building these things, Triscuit? The Australian study concluded that the best option appears to be a reusable bag, but one made from recycled plastic, not cotton. There are so very many variables. Banning plastic bags is great for the world, right? This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Spoiler alert: plastics parents got divorced at age eleven and it still isnt over it. Instagram, Follow us on Now, a new law hopes to take things a step further by banning these: single-use plastic pre-checkout bags that are not recyclable and can contaminate compost facilities. The Massachusetts proposal may not become law this year, but its the latest sign that the plastic bag industry is losing this war. As far as I know, nobody has done the definitive analysis, which would necessarily need to have a large number of caveats and qualifications. TAYLOR: Yes, how much people actually reuse the various types of reusable bags has a big impact on their environmental impact. The instinct to favor reusable bags springs from an understandable urge to reduce our chronic overconsumption, but the bags we use are not the big problem.