Plastic Bags Aren’t Biggest Problem, Japanese Professor of Recycling Science Says
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 9.08
photo by greenhem via flickr
We recently reported how China's scheme to ban free plastic bags in stores eems to be working in reducing their consumption, with people apparently turning to the most eco-friendly option: reusable cloth bags. And we also recently presented the low-down on the life-cycle analysis of paper versus plastic bags. Well, Kazuko Nakano, professor of recycling science at Kobe Yamate University in Japan, has put in his two cents on the matter.
People Tend to Reuse Plastic Bags in the Home
In an opinion piece in The Asahi Shimbun Prof. Nakano essentially tells us that their are bigger problems in the world that plastic bags, though he doesn’t actually identify them. Based on surveys he’s conducted he says that only 0.8% of people actually just use plastic bags one time before throwing them away. Most people reuse them to line trash bins or for other household uses at least once before disposing of them. He also points out that in doing so people are reducing the need to purchase bags specifically for disposal of other trash. In the end, while he favors reusable bags, the current focus on demonizing the humble plastic bag is a a much ado about nothing.
However, Once Thrown Out They Still Don’t Biodegrade
In a way I agree with Prof. Nakano and in a way I don’t. While there are certainly bigger environmental problems, reduction of petroleum consumption, especially for items such as plastic bags—which are ultimately disposed of in a landfill or worse on the side of a road or a stream— or in packaging, is a worthwhile endeavor. And while it may take more energy to make paper bags, at least they are biodegradable, something which is ultimately impossible with the majority of plastic bags. Even of disposed of improperly, the litter is only around for a relatively short period of time. A plastic bag is, essentially, forever.
Paper Versus Plastic Bags
Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know
China’s Plastic Bag Ban is Working, So Far
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Isn't everything he stated really obvious? I think out that argument in a millisecond every time I must get one or use it for trash lining – which could just as easily be biodegradable paper, BTW.
It is, however, one of the most visible problems and can lead to behavior shifts once addressed. It also makes for a prettier environment and consumption awareness, leading to further shifts.
Prof. Nakano, is right. And as William McDonough points out about the plastic bottle. It could be designed to be burned as a source of fuel. Because that is really what it is materially However, the problem lies in the fact that when you burn it you release carcinogens. But the whole problem is a lifecycle design problem. Can't we think imaginatively about the lifecycle of plastic? How about better plastics, degradeable, or better yet safely combustible plastic. Or even better plastic that can efficiently be reused in other products.
But like any externality the convenience should be taxed. Alternatives to the plastic bag can encouraged.
Well, basicaly the same effect makes efficient light bulbs in cold regions absolutely NOT green. Because of the fact you have to heat 24/7/365 in say Island the heat producing the low efficiency has to be brought up by other ways, by lets say a petroleum oven.
So a way better way would be to make better isolation.
This does not apply to any other climate zone of course and efficient bulbs are great though.
This is a question I've troubled myself with numerous times. I use cloth bags 98% of the time, and keep the plastic bags from the other 2% to reuse as trash bags in my small apt.
The question:
Are "garbage bags" better in landfills than the regular plastic shopping bags?
From my own experience, I've noticed that garbage tends to fall into only a few categories: recyclable paper; recyclable plastic, glass, or metal; food waste and other compostables; other recyclables with more specific needs (e-waste, batteries, CFL's, etc); and non-recyclable, non-biodegradable stuff. Only the latter needs to go into the trash, and in that case it makes little difference whether or not the bag it is in biodegrades; the contents aren't going anywhere. It is also this last bit we need to try to reduce and eliminate.
This doesn't answer the paper/plastic/biodegradable plastic question for garbage bags, but I think my point is that... this is the wrong question to be asking. The question should be, how do we make all waste recyclable? How can we make garbage bags of any kind unnecessary?
I use bags from things like cereal for garbage bags. If I don't have enough, I'm going to just not use bags and dump the garbage and come back in with the bin. It's not a big deal to do that.
I think professor Nakano is wrong. Japan's 120 million people uses 30 billion plastic bags annually. There is no way that many bags are needed for garbage disposal. Do the math, at least people here could reduce by half the shopping bags they take home stuff from stores in. It would happen if people had to pay a fee for the shopping bags.
In a market economy, why should shops be giving away plastic bags for free?
Her study is done using interviews, which I think is a dubious way to approach this problem.
The equation gets more complex if you consider that the bag is recycled initially from a carrier bag into a garbage bag it then gets incinerated to provide energy...
Greenz
Stores don't give out bags for free. Any store that claims to be going green by charging you for bags is charging you EXTRA on top of what they were already charging you.
Using a large trash bag to contain a certain amount of garbage uses less plastic to contain that waste than multiple small grocery bags so reusing the plastic shopping bags as garbage containers is not a valid argument for their use.