Persuasive SpeechWhen checking out at the store you dont get asked whether you want paper orplastic

anymore. Plastic is the only option if youve come unprepared.And what happens to those plastic bags as soon as theyve served their purpose?Most end up right in the trash, because weve never been taught any other option.Every year the US goes through 100 million plastic bags at an estimated cost of 4billion dollars. The extremely slow decomposition rate of plastic bags leaves them to drift in theocean for untold years; and according to the Algalita Marine Research Foundation,these rogue bags cause the death of many marine animals (fish, sea turtles andeven birds) mainly because these animals mistake the floating debris for food, orthey get caught in them which then inhibits their mobility or obstructs theirairways.When plastic bags break down, they dont biodegrade, like paper or wood; theyphoto degrade. An example of this is when you leave a picture, toy, piece of fabricor other plastic in the sun too long and it loses its color and fades. Photodegradation is an EXTREMELY slow process; therefore it takes many, many decades(maybe even centuries) for something to completely dissolve. This also meansthat the materials that make up plastic bags readily soak up toxins. They thencontaminate the soil, waterways and animals that they sit in. The Ocean Conservancy has been keeping numbers on the amounts of differenttypes of refuse, and while cigarette butts made it to first place plastic bags camein at a close second.One reported case of plastic bag ingestion by animals was made in Honolulu Hawaii,where sea turtles are as common as squirrels are here in the Shenandoah Valley. Arescued sea turtle had a large piece of plastic lodged in its gastrointestinal tract;and once veterinarians removed the large shard, the turtle continued to pass over70 foreign, plastic objects from its bowels over the next month. There are many other cases of plastic bag research being reported internationally.For instance, Plasicbaglaws.org reports that Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, Canada is thefirst municipality in all of North America to propose, pass and adopt a law forbiddingthe use of plastic bags by shops. The only options are paper or reusable cloth. Finesof up to 1,000 Canadian dollars can be issued for shop owners that continue to offerplastic bags to their patrons.So what is the solution to all of this? How about a plastic bag tax? Ireland is doing just that. In 2003 Ireland introduced a22 cent tax on every plastic shopping bag. This resulted in a huge decrease in theuse of plastic bags most shops stopped handing them out altogether. But theresult must not have been as drastic as the Irish government had hoped, because in2007, they raised that tax-per-bag to 32 cents.OK, so a tax works, sort of but what about a plastic bag ban? That should surely stop our consumerism, no?According to Hilex Polys website thetruthaboutplasticbags.com Banning plasticbags directly affects over 30,000 people by putting them out of jobs. Hilex Polysstance on the subject couldnt have anything to do with them being

the leadingmanufacturer of plastic bag and film products could it?Granted, Hilex Poly does have plastic bag recycling centers that clean and recreatemore plastic bags and other plastic products. But, a study on the life cycle of threetypes of disposable bags (single-use plastic, paper and compostable plastic) showedthat both compostable plastic and papers bags require more material per bag in themanufacturing process. This means higher consumption of raw materials in themanufacture of the bags and greater energy and fuel usage in the bagmanufacturing and transportation of the finished product.So what is the solution?Recycling is a great option in fact, most stores in our area have attempted tomake it super easy for us to recycle. By placing plastic bag recycling bins outside of their doors, local stores like Food Lion, Martins and Walmart encourage us to dropoff what we used on our last shopping trip, before gathering up another haul at ournext checkout.Another, greater option, in some peoples opinions, is Upcycling. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. The most popular are fused plasticand Plarn or, plastic yarn which is then used for crocheting items anywhere fromother purses, bags, hats or even full pieces of clothing.However you decide to deal with your plastic bags, keep in mind that anything isbetter than creating more trash or hassle for ourselves and our environment.I urge you to gather plastic bags around your house pull them out of the trash andutilize the resources our locale has offered us in the ways of recycling. Or, if you arefeeling super creative and want to upcycle - Google plastic bag crafts and learnfrom the eco warriors on the internet.