There is a new breed of plastic bags that are found in the grocery stores today. They are the ones that claim to be more environmentally-good plastic bags that promises to help save the environment. Their tag says they are biodegradable plastics but people are left wondering if this biodegradable tag is true.
The call to reduce the use of plastic has been stronger in the last few years. Supermarkets come with these biodegradable plastic bags to support advocacy while providing their consumers with the same kind of comfort in shopping. But are these environment-friendly plastic bags for real?
However, in all these replacements, perhaps it is essential to ask if they are truly sustainable. Is there a bigger problem of global warming and climate change addressed by these replacements or do they make it less worse until a true solution comes into the picture? There is no denying that the plastic problem in our hands make everything tougher. In a study published in 2017, the world has produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic since the 1950s. Out of these sheer number is that 6 million of which have been thrown away. Whether the plastic ends up at sea or in the landfill, one thing remains true: the durability and sustainability of the plastic item keeps it good to use for a few years.
Canada, following the move of the countries in the UK, recently announced the ban that they will put up concerning single-use plastics by 2021. They have just been added to a long list of countries that has limited their use of disposable plastics in desire to be one with the cause to fight for the environment. However, is ditching the use of single-use plastics and replacing them with compostable or biodegradable ones cause more harm than good?
"What worries me is the fact that these types of plastics might not really be a solution," said Mark Miodownik, a professor from the University College London and specializes in materials and society. "If they find themselves in the environment, we can only home that the conditions would allow them to become their biodegradable nature and become one with it.
If people continue to put their plastic nappies and wipes in the trash bin, then there is really no solution to the problem concerning plastics. Some people will change their ways, others will continue with what they do until those that want to spark change will lose hope that there will be change. So, they will decide to go back to their usual ways and let others do what they want to do.
Deciphering whether these "greener" plastic alternatives is truly helpful to the environment or not remains to be a debate. The labels applied to each one make its existence even more complicated. Whether these compostable plastics are better than the single-use plastics that people are used remains to be a question that people need to answer.
