Every year, on July 3, International Plastic Bag Free Day is celebrated. It is a global initiative that aims to stop the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are a huge strain on the environment, though they may seem like a grocery shopping convenience. For plastic bags to disintegrate, it can take up to 500 years, so they make up a large portion of what stays in our pollutes our waterways and landfills.
History
For most of our history, single-use products were irreverent. Plastic became a cheap and plentiful resource through the end of the Industrial Revolution and into the modern era. One perfect example of this is a plastic bag.
The history of plastic bags has affected our world. In Northwich, England, in 1933, in a chemical plant, the most commonly used plastic polyethylene was created by accident. Earlier, polyethylene had been created in small batches, this was the first synthesis of industrially practical material, and it was originally used in secret, during World War II, by the British military.
By 1965, Swedish company Celloplast patented the one-piece polyethylene shopping bag. Plastic bags were designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin, and they quickly begins to replace cloth and plastic in Europe. In 1979, from Europe plastic bags went abroad and were widely introduced to the United States. Plastic companies started to market aggressively their product as superior to reusable and paper bags.
In 1997, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was found by researcher and sailor Charles Moore. It was the largest of several gyres in the world’s oceans where huge amounts of plastic waste have been hoarded, threatening marine life. It was uncovered that plastic bags are notorious for killing sea turtles, which wrongly think they are jellyfish and ingest them.
In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to implement a ban on thin plastic bags after it was discovered that plastic bags played a key role in blocking drainage systems during disastrous flooding. Other countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Australia, Italy, and China quickly followed suit.
International Plastic Bag Free Day is founded to discover safer alternatives proving that a world without the use of so much plastic is possible. This day is a part of the Break Free from Plastic Movement, which formed in September 2016, and has been joined by nearly 1,500 various organizations. The movement is looking for solutions to the plastic pollution crisis, to make the planet safer for humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Timeline of International Plastic bag Free Day
1933 (Polyethylene was discovered) – The main component in single-use plastic, polyethylene, was discovered in Norwich and used to aid the British in World War II.
1965 (The first plastic bag was created) – Through the Swedish company Celloplast, polyethylene found new uses when they invented the first single-use plastic bag.
1997 (The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered) – Marine researcher Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 1.6 million square kilometer floating mass of plastic and trash.
2019 (Plastic permeated the planet) – Single-use plastic particles were found in the Mariana Trench, 35,849 feet below the surface of the ocean.
Find out what is tomorrow’s date
FAQs about International Plastic Bag Free Day
Which countries charge for plastic bags?
In 2002, Bangladesh was the first country to prohibit plastic bag use. Israel, Netherlands, China, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Rwanda, Kenya, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Georgia, Papua New Guinea, and Albania, have since enforced similar prohibitions.
How much does it cost to make one plastic grocery bag?
Humans have made so much plastic bag litter that according to the E.P.A. it can take 1,000 years to decompose. One reason for the quantity of plastic bags is economic. According to the plastics industry, to produce a standard plastic grocery bag costs about a penny, on the other, to produce a paper bag costs 4 cents to 5 cents. So, the production of plastic bags is a lot cheaper.
Which state first banned plastic bags in India?
To ban certain single-use plastics in India began in 2009 when the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh became the first to ban plastic shopping bags. In 2017, Delhi, India’s capital city, adopted a more expansive ban that included bags, cups, plates, and cutlery.
How to Celebrate International Plastic Bag Free Day?
Stop using plastic bags – The best way to celebrate is that wherever you find yourself on July 3rd, from the restaurant to the grocery store to the park, make certain not to use and not to ask for any plastic bags.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle – Another good way to celebrate is to recycle and upcycle the items around you. Do not throw away if you have some plastic bags lying around, as you can use them as supplementary trash bags or as an option for a lunchbox.
Practice your green thumb – Spend your day helping Mother Nature. It is an ideal time to plant a new tree or plant some nice flowers. The planet and the wildlife around your house will be grateful.
What is today’s date in short form?
5 Significant Facts about Plastic Bag Usage
Plastic disintegrates slowly – Single-use plastic needs 700 years to start decomposing and to degrade completely takes 1000 years.
Plastic is directly harmful to wildlife – A beached sperm whale was found with almost fifty pounds of single-use plastic in its stomach, In 2008.
Five trillion plastic bags are produced every year – The plastic bags would wrap around the entire planet seven times if placed next to each other.
Very few plastic bags are recycled – Only 1% to 3% of plastic bags are recycled globally according to some reports.
Plankton has become outnumbered – There are six times more single-use plastic particles than plankton in the Northern Pacific.
Why International Plastic Bag Free Day is Crucial?
Shamu will thank you – Plastic bags bring great harm to our oceans. A decline in plastic bag production and usage means a direct correlation in more whales, dolphins, and sea turtles.
There are easy alternatives – Not only is it crucial to do so, but it is easy and often cheaper to use a reusable bag. Generally, you can generally find them near the check-out at any place you shop.
You can save the planet earth – Reduce, reuse, and recycle today! There are 7 billion people on the planet, and it is essential that every single person does their part.
