The Advance of the Plastic Bag Ban

Dec 8, 2011
Hannah Mueller

Plastic debris on the beach - Hannah Mueller

Plastic bags are increasingly targeted in legislation. Bans of the item are enforced in many countries to prevent litter and environmental degradation.

Banning Plastic Bags

The plastic bag is a convenient item often used only once, for example to carry home grocieries. It has recently received a lot of public attention through both media and governmental action. This may be because it is so often seen abandoned throughout our landscapes, blown away by the wind or caught in a drain. The Majestic Plastic Bag, a 'mockumentary' narrated by Jeremy Irons, describes this problem in a rather entertaining yet critical way. On the governmental side, the phenomenon has also increasingly found its way into legislation in jurisdictions all over the world.

The banning of plastic bags is increasingly pushed through in new legal regulations as a step to reduce the amount of waste that is produced. Sometimes only the single use variant of bags is targeted, and any new case is an attempt to fight the large amounts of litter found in streets as much as in rivers. As reported by Wales on Sunday and The Independent, a ban on plastic bags is in place in countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Italy and Thailand. Amongst others, Ireland and Hong Kong have implemented legal rules that aim to deter people from using them, and China has banned all free plastic bags. On a more local level, United Press International writes about plastic bag bans in counties such as LA and cities such as San Francisco.

Controversial Legislation

Following the path of those insisting upon laws, an increasing number of bodies from local councils to national governments are considering the ban on free plastic bags, single use plastic bags, thin plastic bags or plastic bags full stop. This process is not a simple one, and various objections are made trying to stop it.

Some opinions doubt the effectiveness of such measures, claiming for example that plastic bags are only a small amount of the rubbish that can be found in streets, and that a ban therefore will not successfully tackle this problem. Arguments are also made that the effect on overall waste reduction will be minimal, and that people like to use free plastic bags as bin liners at home. Other voices, for example that of Michael D. Antonovich who was quoted by United Press International, go a step further and criticise the effect the ban could have on the economy, for example creating an obstacle for businesses, or by disadvantaging poor people who may in one way or the other rely on cheap plastic bags.

More Plastic Pollution

There is truth to the argument that the ban of plastic bags cannot sufficiently reduce waste, be it in the streets or in landfills. The effect of the bags on the environment is only a small portion of a much bigger and global problem of plastic pollution. This type of pollution is rapidly increasing on scales many people are not aware of. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, around 5 million tons of plastic are dumped in the oceans every year, leading to serious health problems for wildlife, as much as poisoning of the food chain. On land, plastic all too often ends up on the road side, or dumped in landfill. UNEP further states that with more than 250 million tons of plastic produced every year, the world is facing a serious issue that can only be addressed with changes going far beyond the banning of plastic bags.

A Way Forward?

The most important meaning to plastic bag bans seems to be the signal such bans send. This signal shows that politics can move in the right direction, towards better environmental management. It may not always take the direct path towards this goal; but at least it is raising awareness of our opulent lifestyles, our wasteful behviour and the pollution we can cause with it. In this sense, each new legislation is a small contribution to make people more aware of how we affect our environment; and awareness is the first step towards changing one's behaviour.