Plastic Bags: Environmental Hazard or ModernDay Convenience?
Plastic shopping bags popularly called “nylon” in Nigeria are a modern-day household convenience, handed out to us every time we buy goods from retailers and which, we probably believe we cannot do without. However, the danger posed to our society by the unregulated use of these bags, is undoubted.
Their harmful effect on the environment stem from the fact that they do not decompose easily because they are made out of non-biodegradable substance: polythene, which scientists believe could take up to 1,000 years to decompose on land and 450 years in water, during which time, they separate into smaller toxic particles and contaminate the soil, waterways and fill up landfill sites. Plastic bags are responsible for most of the litter on our streets, landfills, dumpsites, and beaches and oceans. Large buildups of plastic litter can clog drainage systems and exacerbate deadly floods. In water, they choke wildlife. In November 2013, the European Commission stated that the stomachs of 94 per cent of all birds in the North Sea were found to contain plastics. Incinerating or burning plastic litter, releases toxic substances into the atmosphere and pollutes the air. Plastic bags are not easy to recycle because there is virtually no commercial market for recycling them. It costs more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one, consequently, less than 1 per cent of bags are recycled because of the economics. They are made from petroleum, a scarce natural resource and add to our demand for oil and the consequent release of greenhouse gases (GHGs), responsible for global warming and climate change, into the atmosphere. The list could go on and on, yet there appears to be inadequate recognition of the potential cost of plastic litter and the environmental hazard they create, as the government has been slow to do anything about them, while they continue to accumulate at a staggering rate in our environment.
Most countries in the developed world recognise the environmental crisis created by plastic bags and are making concerted efforts to eliminate, reduce and/or regulate their use, through bans, recycling mandates and taxes or fees, particularly in light of the decision taken during the Climate Summit in Paris in November 2015, to keep the global temperature rise below the two degrees Celsius level.
In Australia, plastic bags have been totally banned. In Switzerland, Italy and Ireland, the use of plastic bags is discouraged through financial means such as tax or rebates for bag re - use. In November 2014, the EU unanimously approved a new law to slash the use of plastic bags, hoping to curb litter on land and spreading “plastic soup” in the world’s oceans.
Agidee of the Law firm of The Rock and Partners, Lagos, acknowledges the contribution of ELAW, Oregon USA