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Emily Klarer

Prof Kretzer

English 1101

4 December 2020

Argumentative Essay: Should Plastic Bags Be Banned?

When you think of banning plastic bags you would think that most people would be on

board but, many people do not agree. Plastic bags are used by families almost every day. These

plastic bags might be useful but they are detrimental to our environment. The cons that plastic

bags cause to not only our environment but also aquatic life outweigh the pros significantly.

Along with aquatic life, they are poor for many more reasons. Plastic bags decompose at a very

slow rate, causing even more danger to the environment. The amount of harm that plastic bags

cause to not only our environment but marine life outweighs the convenience that they give us.

In the end, plastic bags are not worth it and we need to find a better solution.

Marine life might have the worst of it when it comes to plastic bags. Around 300 million

plastic bags end up in the ocean every year. These plastic bags take at least 10-20 years to

decompose and when they do finally decompose they are broken down into very small particles

called microplastics. A cycle begins when the microplastics are eaten by animals. The animals

are eaten by more animals and eventually, they are caught and ingested by humans. Turtles are

one of the main sea creatures at risk when it comes to plastic bags. Plastic bags can appear to

look like jellyfish in the water, turtles then mistakenly eat the plastic bags, which can lead to fatal

consequences (Brewster).

Many people argue that plastic bags should not be banned. Their reasoning for this is that

although paper bags are unsatisfactory, there are worse alternatives that we should be focused
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more on. Paper takes up more room in landfills and is also quite slow when decomposing. Paper

bags take nine times more room in a landfill (Schwanke). They can also argue that reusable bags

are not sanitary and can ultimately carry viruses and or infections. Using reusable bags can also

be more expensive because they have to purchase them in the first place and then wash them to

prevent the growth of bacteria.

Another reason plastic bags should be banned is that plastic bags are non-biodegradable.

This causes an insane amount of pollution. Plastic bags can not be recycled and when they are

burned they release harmful smoke with very harmful toxins that can be dangerous when humans

or animals breathe them in (DebateWise). Plastic bags are one of the main sources of litter that

we see nowadays. This can be very dangerous to animals. Animals can eat these bags which can

be very detrimental to their health or they can get tangled up in them. I am sure we’ve all seen a

bird or a critter stuck in a plastic bag. This can prevent them from being able to move correctly,

which also could potentially prevent them from being able to eat.

Plastic bags use up to 10% of the world's annual oil supply but only 3.5% of the 10% is

being recycled (DebateWise). This ultimately wastes our precious resources which we only have

so much of. There are more resources along with oil that is used when creating plastic bags.

These resources and materials could be used in a much more efficient and effective way. Plastic

bags have become a waste of energy and a waste of resources. This is due to the overall negative

impact that plastic bags have had on the environment over time.

Plastic bag pollution is not just an issue that America faces. African countries are also

facing repercussions from plastic bag use. Brian Nyathi talks about how African governments

should be responsible for forcing grocery stores to inform their customers about the alternatives

to plastic in general can cause drain clogging. This happened in an African town during a
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downpour and the clogged drain resulted in flooding. As we can see, plastic bags have effects on

the environment that we can not stop (Nyathi).

Another argument against the banning of plastic bags comes from David Sussman. David

Sussman takes a deeper look into the subject. Sussman makes it clear that plastic bags are not the

main source of plastic pollution, plastic straws, and bottles are the main source. David Sussman

also makes it clear that there are worse alternatives than plastic bags. Paper bags, which may

seem like the better alternative can take up to 400% more energy to make, but in my opinion,

they are still the better option because they can be recycled into something new. David Sussman

brings up a third point which is very interesting. Sussman believes that people can harm the

environment when they are trying to save the planet. An example of this is when people buy

more of a product because it is labeled as eco-friendly. Another example that David Sussman

brings up is that when someone walks somewhere instead of driving in their car they feel as if

they can be rewarded by buying more things from the store, and these things are not beneficial

for the environment (Sussman).

Plastic bags may be very convenient compared to the alternatives such as paper bags but

overall the damage that they already do and the damage that they have the potential to do is

terrifying. It is time for something to change. Whether it is a switch to an alternative or just

completely not using plastic bags, anything can help. This is not an issue that should be taken

lightly, it is very serious to the point where it is taking the lives of our marine environment.

Something needs to be done and this issue could have very long-lasting impacts on our world.
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Works Cited

BREWSTER, DAVID. “The Lasting Impacts of Mass Consumerism and the Disposable Culture:

A Proposition for the Development of Plastic Shopping Bag Bans in Texas Law.” St.

Mary’s Law Journal, vol. 51, no. 2, Apr. 2020, pp. 271–307. Academic Search Complete,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=142914552&site=eds-live.

Nyathi, Brian, and Chamunorwa Aloius Togo. “Overview of Legal and Policy Framework

Approaches for Plastic Bag Waste Management in African Countries.” Journal of

Environmental & Public Health, Oct. 2020, pp. 1–8. Academic Search Complete,

doi:10.1155/2020/8892773.

Schwanke, Crystal. “Why We Should Not Ban Plastic Bags.” LoveToKnow, LoveToKnow Corp,

greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Why_Should_We_Not_Ban_Plastic_Bags.

“Should Plastic Bags Be Banned?” DebateWise, 9 July 2020,

https://debatewise.org/1011-should-plastic-bags-be-banned/#:~:text=Plastic%20bags%20

should%20be%20banned,for%20small%20animals%20and%20people.

Sussman, David D. “Three Reasons Why Banning Plastic Bags Is Problematic.” The

Conversation, 25 July 2020, theconversation.com/three-reasons-why-banning-plastic-

bags-is -problematic-142671