The government plans to ban single use plastic bags by some time next year. Single use are those bags which we use to carry a load of groceries. Many people in fact say these are not single use, they reuse plastic bags, especially to line a kitchen rubbish bin. Of course, there are other uses for these bags, but it is true that most of them end up in landfill and take a long time to decompose. You also see them blowing in the wind and some end up in rivers and then the sea. We have all seen news or pictures of the damage they do to fish or marine mammals.
Single use plastic bags are not the only kind of plastic which is an environmental hazard. Supermarkets cover meat and other food with cling wrap. Bakery items come in hard plastic packages. And what about plastic bottles, especially water bottles? Do we want to return to glass bottles?
We know the advantages of plastic for keeping food fresh for longer and to stop contamination from other food stored beside it. Unlike brown paper bags, plastic is transparent so you can see the food you are buying. However, strong brown paper bags might be a better idea instead of plastic carry bags. Is paper environmentally friendly?
New Zealand has been rather slow to get rid of plastic bags. Forty countries have banned them already. Supermarkets have been talking about getting rid of plastic bags or charging customers perhaps 10c a bag. Already it is quite common to see customers bringing their own reusable bags. In fact, the leader of the Opposition, Simon Bridges, said the government should be worried about more important things like the economy because supermarkets are already trying to reduce the numbers of bags.
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Vocabulary
• landfill (n)– household rubbish is buried in the land
• decompose (v) – break down and disappear
• marine (adj) – sea
• hazard (n) – a danger
• cling (adj) – attach tightly (usually a verb)
• contamination (n) – can poison other objects