Author: snodlo2

Plastic bags have become ubiquitous in our lives, from grocery stores to retail shops. But as convenient as they are, they have become a major environmental issue, contributing to litter, pollution, and a growing waste problem.

 

The numbers are staggering: It’s estimated that over 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. [1] Around 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away annually in the United States alone. [2] The rest end up in landfills, oceans, and other natural environments, where decomposing takes hundreds of years.

 

Believe it or not, plastic bags are recyclable. But not in your typical recycling bin. They must be taken to a specialized facility for processing. These facilities are sparse in the United States. Municipal recycling plants don’t take plastic bags due to how expensive it is to recycle them. Many Americans are unaware that these bags cannot be recycled conventionally with the rest of their recyclables [3]. Only 1% of plastic bags end up getting recycled in America. [2] Both inaccessibility to recycling and lack of public knowledge have led to an abundance of bags being redirected from recycling facilities to landfills.

 

Recognizing the environmental impact, some states and municipalities have discouraged plastic bag usage by implementing fees or taxes on single-use plastic bags. For example, California imposes a minimum 10-cent charge for each plastic carryout bag provided by retailers. [4] Similar laws exist in Hawaii, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, and others.

 

The idea behind these charges is simple: By making plastic bags more expensive, consumers will be incentivized to bring their own reusable bags instead. The fees collected can go towards environmental initiatives or efforts to provide reusable bags.

 

But do these fees really make a difference?

 

Initially, the amount of plastic bag waste collected during trash clean-ups reduced. However, the number of plastic bags collected during cleanups has remained relatively flat since 2016. [3] The graph below shows this trend, with a dip in 2021, likely an effect of COVID. The type of plastic was not categorized before 2012.

The efficacy of the tax hinges on consumer behavior and attitudes toward convenience. For many individuals, the convenience of plastic bags outweighs the nominal cost imposed by the tax. Thus, while the financial incentive may deter some from opting for plastic bags, many consumers remain willing to pay a modest fee in exchange for convenience.

Ultimately, plastic bags are just one part of a much larger problem: our society’s reliance on single-use plastics and the lack of proper recycling and waste management systems. While plastic bag charges may help raise awareness and encourage a shift in consumer habits, more comprehensive solutions are needed to address the root causes of plastic pollution. This could include greater investment in recycling infrastructure, incentives for businesses to adopt more sustainable packaging alternatives, and a broader cultural shift towards embracing a more circular economy – prioritizing reusing and repurposing materials rather than disposing of them after a single use.

Even as we strive for systemic changes, individual actions can still make a difference. By making conscious choices to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics and seeking out environmentally friendly alternatives, we can collectively contribute to a more sustainable future. For instance, there is a way you can redirect some of your plastic bag waste here in Greenville. Some stores, such as Publix, accept plastic bags that they send to be processed at their facilities. So, if you forget your reusable bag, you can still clean your conscience. Contribute to the whopping 1% of plastic bags that really are recycled!

Sources:
[1] https://www.earthday.org/fact-sheet-plastics-in-the-ocean/
[2] https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data
[3] https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-08-24/whats-the-deal-with-single-use-plastic-bag-bans
[4] https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/carryoutbags

My home city of Tega Cay, South Carolina is known for its historical charm and luscious trees. In fact, the city flag depicts a pine tree which represents this reputation. This is ironic to me, as my town has increasingly favored the economy over nature and wildlife. Not to mention, there are more subdivisions than trees. It was not always this way. Several changes have been made over the past few years. While I was not happy with the state of our environmental policies in the past, they are preferable to the current state of things.

Every time I return home, there’s a new policy in place that only seems to take my town backward. Last year, during my first visit, I was met with a particularly distressing change. It is now $10 per month to continue recycling pick-up each week. This was announced on the city’s Facebook page. There were three options presented in a telling fashion. Below is the graphic posted on the city’s page.

The first option listed is to discontinue your recycling pickup entirely. The second is to pay $10 monthly for an entirely new trash can to adjust for the additional recycling waste that now must be thrown away. The third is to continue recycling, for the low price of $10 a month. I find the order of alternative options to be quite telling. The options are listed in order of convenience, based on time and money. It is convenient for people to not worry about recycling anymore. The cost for pick-up recycling is in line with those for Spotify, Netflix, and other entertainment services. Most people would prioritize their own entertainment over recycling, understandably. It is difficult to see any immediate benefit from recycling, whereas subscribing to an entertainment service has a clear and immediate benefit.

There is currently no location other than the Facebook page where you can find information about recycling policy. When navigating to the “Trash and Recycle” page on the city website, you are met with an error message. I find that this reflects the lack of care the city has for both communicating with its residents and promoting sustainable practices.

This problem is not only concentrated in my small hometown. Greenville County is dealing with its own recycling-related dilemma. Currently, recycling is only picked up within Greenville city limits. Citizens cannot pay a $10 monthly fee to get their recycling picked up; they have no choice but to stop recycling or haul it over to their nearest drop-off area. Furman is affected by this county-wide change and has opted to pay an outside contractor to pick up waste. Even with the trash and recycling pick-up in place, Furman still does not accept glass or many types of plastics for recycling. Only products labeled with a 1 or a 2 are eligible to be recycled.

What has been causing environmental initiatives to regress at this rate? The reasons are a lack of money and education. Several areas worldwide cannot afford to advance their current sustainable practices, much less keep them in place. Though, in many cases, the money is there for a city to utilize, leaders just wish to invest it in more profitable ventures (most of which include the destruction of the environment). Dealing with waste efficiently doesn’t have an immediate reward, making it unappealing to many. The idea of sustainability is to preserve what we have in the long term. If more people were conscious of the long-term in decision making, sustainable practices would be more prevalent around the country.

 

 

 

Sources:

County of Greenville, SC. (n.d.). https://www.greenvillecounty.org/solidwaste/CurbsideRecycling.aspx

Signature Waste. (n.d.). Tega Cay Account Setup. Retrieved October 3, 2023, from https://signaturewaste.com/tegacay/

Trash and Recycle. (n.d.). Tega Cay South Carolina. Retrieved October 3, 2023, from https://www.tegacaysc.org/995/Trash-and-Recycle