Plastic Prohibition: The Case For A National Single-Use Plastic Ban In The United States

Plastic Prohibition9:2 195 by the second. 1 High-density Polyethylene, the type of plastic that is used to make plastic grocery bags, was invented in 1953, though the bags themselves were not introduced to America until 1979. 2 In just a few decades, plastic grocery bags and other single-use plastics have gone from non-existent to ubiquitous.The term "single-use plastics" refers to plastic packaging and items that are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. 3"Disposable plastics" is another term for this group of items, including but not limited to: plastic shopping bags, coffee stirrers, water bottles, plastic straws, plastic caps, food packaging and disposable cups. 4 Every day, Americans turn to these items because they are convenient and affordable, but they are also dangerous. 5Single-use plastic has had a massive impact on oceans and marine animals, as it is a major ocean polluter. 6Sea birds, sea turtles, seals, whales and other animals ingest or become entangled in plastic, with deadly consequences. 7 According to the United Nations, over 800 species are affected by marine debris each year and about threequarters of the debris is made up of plastic. 8About half of all species of marine animals are affected by entanglement or ingestion of 1 Great Pacific Garbage Patch, THE WORLD COUNTS, https:// www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/waste/great-pacific-garbage-patch-size/story(last accessed Mar. 18, 2021).