The plastic commonly used in bottles, bags and food containers contains chemical additives such as endocrine disruptors, which are associated with negative health effects, such as cancer, birth defects and immune system suppression in humans and wildlife. A worrying number of people are unaware of the effects that plastic can have on their health.
Plastic bags
contain chemicals that, when heated, can harm human health. Bisphenol A, a chemical used to create plastic bags, can contribute to the development of asthma, ulcers and certain types of cancer.Plastic bags that end up being recycled on the sidewalks of houses end up entangled in sorting equipment. This slows down the recycling process, damages or breaks recycling equipment, and puts workers at risk of harm. The photo shows workers unraveling dozens of plastic bags from sorting equipment. Other problems that animals face due to the waste of plastic bags are suffocation when eating them and strangulation when trapped in plastic bags.
Dolphins, seals, sharks, flamingos, gulls, pelicans and other dead animals and birds have been found in large numbers due to plastic bags. Environmentalists have warned us about the toxic relationship between plastic bags and the environment. The accumulation of plastic bags is known to clog local drainage systems in developing countries. India's capital, New Delhi, has passed strict laws that prohibit retailers from handing out plastic bags and can result in fines or jail terms.
for plastic bag manufacturers. This way, you'll avoid countless unnecessary deaths by reducing the environmental and animal impacts of plastic bag waste. Speaking about the ACC, Amy Westervelt, editor of The Plastic Free Times, says: “They will stop at nothing to suppress or discredit the science that clearly links plastic chemicals to negative impacts on human, animal and environmental health. They have succeeded in preventing taxes on plastic bags from being introduced throughout the United States, for example, in Seattle, where they launched a huge signature campaign in which 47% of Seattleites voted in favor of the bag tax and 53% against.
Plastic bags also pose a serious health hazard to the population, as they eventually leach toxic chemicals into drinking water supplies. Rescue teams have found strips of these dead birds in Midway due to the ingestion of substantial quantities of plastic bag debris. One of the first steps in leading an environmentally friendly lifestyle is to eliminate plastic bags from your life. Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany have policies that have banned the use of bags for many years, and all new plastic bags have an additional cost. Many of the plastic bags collected by recycling companies cannot be reused or recycled, since the industry that produces them does not want to buy them again. Manufacturers began to replace traditional paper or glass staples with lighter, more durable and affordable plastic alternatives; plastic jugs replaced milk jars, for example.
Coca-Cola has said that it alone produces three million tons of plastic containers every year, equivalent to a frightening amount of 200,000 plastic bottles per minute. In August 2000, an autopsy of the stomach of a stranded whale revealed that 20 square feet were comprised of single-use plastic bags, which occupied its entire stomach. Single-use plastics are most often used for packaging and service items, such as bottles, wrappers, straws and bags.
