jueves, 23 de abril de 2009

1. Do you agree with this new law? Why or why not?
I think that the ban is a good idea for the industries to produce plastic that don't affect the ecology.
2. What has been done so far?
They give a year to all th Mexican companies to produce bio-degradable plastic.
3. What needs to be done to enforce such a law?
That te business men get a little bit of interest for our world.
4. What campaigns would you suggest?
Well I don't know too much of campaigns because i'm not to much in that, but aomething I can say is that it would be a wonderful idea to make campaigns and the companies cooparate.
a. What are some of the potential benefits of charging fees for and/or banning plastic bags?· Reduce pollution by encouraging reusable bags.· People would change their behavior, and they would adapt to the habit of using reusable bags and stop polluting the environment.· We would achieve to have a cleaner environment.· With the money they get from charging plastic bags, they could help clean up lakes and bays.
b. What are some of the potential drawbacks of such programs?· The plastic bag industry would crash.· The economic climate is affecting people.· It will increase costs and affect businesses.
c. Which benefits and drawbacks seem the most compelling? Why?I think that the most important benefit of doing this would be to achieve a cleaner environment because if we do not start making something NOW later we will suffer the consequences.The drawback that would affect mostly if this happens would be the increase of costs which would be affected by the economic crisis. I think this is the main cause which is slowing the process of accepting such programs.
d. Would you support a local law charging fees for (or banning) plastic bags? Why or why not?Yes, because pollution is a major problem nowadays, and even though the economic crisis is affecting most of the people, they can use reusable bags, which do not imply an extra charge.

Bag of Tricks.

I. Why are plastic bags so common?
Plastic bags cost grocery stores under 2 cents per bag. Plastic bags are so cheap to produce, sturdy, plentiful, easy to carry and store.
II. In what other ways is plastic used?
Plastic detergent bottles, peanut butter jars, water bottles, soft oil bottles, cooking oil bottles, cups, plastic tableware, food storage containers, yogurt containers, drinking straws, tupperwares, milk jugs, etc.
III. What are the benefits of plastic bags?
The plastic bag is an icon of convenience culture, by some estimates the single most ubiquitous consumer item on Earth, numbering in the trillions. Plastic grocery bags are some of the most reused items around the house. Compared to paper grocery bags, plastic grocery bags consume 40 percent less energy, generate 80 percent less solid waste, produce 70 percent fewer atmospheric emissions, and release up to 94 percent fewer waterborne wastes, according to the federation.
IV. What are the dangers of plastic bags?
The inks and colorants used on some bags contain lead, a toxin. There are a lot of animals that live on the bottom: shrimp, shellfish, and they get trapped in the plastic. Only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide -- about 2 percent in the U.S. -- and the rest, when discarded, can persist for centuries. It takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. Plastic doesn't biodegrade.
V. What has been done so far?
Grand efforts are under way to recycle plastic bag. Some states are attacking the recycling problem by trying to encourage shoppers to take the bags back to grocery stores. Some plastic bags are being downcycled, meaning that they're being put into another product that itself can never be recycled. Plastic bag litter has become such an environmental nuisance and eyesore that Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have heavily taxed the totes or banned their use outright.
VI. Has it been successful? Why or why not?
So far those efforts have resulted mostly in a mass of confusion.The campaign of returning bags in San Francisco for over 10 years, and it's never really been successful. People have to pack up the bags, bring them into the store and drop them off. I think you'd be more inclined to bring your own bag than do that.Tony Lowes, director of Friends of the Irish Environment in County Cork, said the 15 cent tax on plastic bags introduced there in March 2002 has resulted in a 95 percent reduction in their use. "It's been an extraordinary success," he said.