Would Banning Plastic Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ย. 2019
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Plastic bottles are EVERYWHERE and are a big source of pollution. But banning them might create another problem for the environment. Here's why.
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*How did plastic bottles become such a problem*
Early forms of plastic have existed since the mid-1800s. But when WWII came along, scientists diverted all their plastic technology to help with the war effort. So after the war, all this plastic needed to go somewhere, so why not the American consumer? What we got was a plastic explosion, and it's never really stopped. That's why today, it's estimated that humans have created over 8 BILLION tons of plastic, most of which still exist. See, plastic doesn't ever really break down completely or biodegrade -- it just breaks apart into smaller and smaller pieces over time. These tiny bits of plastic make their way into oceans, creating a plastic soup of pollution that can get into the bellies of all kinds of marine animals like fish, pelicans, and turtles. Some research studies predict that by 2050, pound for pound, plastics in the oceans will outweigh all the fish.
*What are the pros and cons around banning plastic bottles?*
About 70% of plastic water bottles bought in the U.S. are not recycled, and so end up in the oceans. On top of that, plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels. In fact, the Pacific Institute found that it took about 17 million barrels of oil to produce enough plastic for the bottles of water consumed by Americans in 2006. And since then, consumption has increased by 65%, meaning Americans need over 28 million barrels of oil to fuel their plastic water bottle needs for one year.
But banning plastic bottles altogether can have unintended consequences. After the University of Vermont instituted their ban on selling single-use plastic water bottles on campus, total shipments of all plastic bottles actually INCREASED 20 percent as people bought OTHER plastic bottle beverages like soda and juice instead. And switching to alternatives like glass or metal containers can require more energy to transport because they weigh more. That means burning more fossil fuels and creating more pollution.
SOURCES:
Fast Facts About Plastic Pollution (National Geographic)
www.nationalgeographic.com/ne...
What's the real price of getting rid of plastic packaging? (BBC)
www.bbc.com/worklife/article/...
A million bottles a minute (The Guardian)
www.theguardian.com/environme...
2017 United States National Postconsumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report
plastics.americanchemistry.co...
The environmental impact of corn-based plastic (Scientific American)
www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
Key moments in lead in water crisis in Flint, Michigan (US News)
www.usnews.com/news/best-stat...
State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation
www.ncsl.org/research/environm...
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I love/hate the topic of plastic, I just completed microplastic research in the gulf of Mexico last month. I'm by no means trying to discount the harm of so many plastic bottles being used, but just to compare the macro plastic problem with the micro plastic one; initially the biggest plastic pollutant (for microplastics) we found was fibers, most likely from washing machines. However when we went back to our samples to try and solve the case of the mysterious clear strands that looked like plastics, acted like plastics, but couldn't be IDed, we finally determined they were from cigarette butts.....and boy were there a lot of them. So much so that we initially discounted them in our data before realizing what they were. The most prolific and shocking form of microplastic pollution was the filters in cigarettes, and you're eating them if you eat seafood. Again this isn't to say single use bottles aren't a major problem, just that it's so much more than just single use plastics that are destroying our oceans. Love this channel and your content, please keep it up! ☺️
I thought cigarettes were made up of tobacco and a bit of paper?
@@crate0tictacs Nope, there is a lot more than just those two ingredients, but the filter is primarily plastic. Next time you are near a cigarette take a look at the filter side and you'll see that it's made up of tiny fibers that almost look like cotton, that's the plastic.
Smokers are some of the most entitled people in the world. Look at how they behave with throwing their disgusting cigarette butts all over instead of at least disposing of them in a reasonable way. And as someone who has a terminal cancer diagnosis, let me tell you that it sucks to go through and smokers are paying money to die early and smell terrible.
@@InfectedChris I feel that. I've never been a fan of smoking, however as a veteran I can't say I have never had a cigarette lol, it's kinda a requirement while active, but the friends I had that smoked were slaves to it. I was always so proud of those who quit. But getting back to the throwing the butts everywhere, that's the primary reason we found such contamination. Imagine all the times you've seen someone toss a butt and it wasn't in an ash tray. All of those are making it into the ecosystem whether it's the ocean or not. Other teams found that microplastics can be uptaked by plants through the soil, so no where is safe from plastic thanks to us.
@@crate0tictacs pls need a sauce to spread around, got too many smokers friend who are careless about where they throw their fag butts
People go through 300+ bottles of water a year? I don't go through any so who's using my share?
A3Kr0n agreed! I reuse the same few glass and the same reusable water bottle he had here.
Cheers for this, I have been researching "what are alternatives to plastic?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Denadison Simplified Dominance - (should be on google have a look )? It is a good exclusive product for discovering how to find a great alternative to single use plastic without the headache. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my mate got great success with it.
The dude in Flint, MI who use plastic too cook, clean, and drink.
mee.
america is just...
most meat overeating country
300+ bpttles per year....wtf
1 each day????????
I go through 6 to 8 a day when I'm working. Even more when I'm restoring power from hurricanes and otherwise. And there's not really an alternative for me to use.
We have amazing tap water yet people still prefer to buy it in plastic bottles because they believe it is better 🤦🤦🤦
Yeah. Tap water is actually healthier because the plastic in plastic water can seep into the water
@C Atly Of course but you have filters for that kind of stuff
It depends on where you live. I live in the Alps and get one of the best tap waters in the world and plastic bottle use is very limited, but in other Italian regions tap water is not drinkable or tastes so bad you wouldn't serve it to your worst enemy. Those people live on water plastic bottles.
In many places, no filter can do anything because of old the pipes are or because of the kind of contaminants
Not everyone can get tap water as suchvas natural disasters. They plastic give water bottles every natural disaster and recovery.
Well it's important to look better
In the video, they kinda skipped over how the unrecycled plastic ends up in the ocean. The WWF has a great article on this which I'm gonna summarize a bit here.
1. Plastic being blown away at some point on its journey from the curb to the landfill. This happens a lot because plastic is so lightweight. Once at a landfill, plastic usually doesn't get into the environment, as landfills in the US are generally well managed.
2. Littering. This is the obvious one. Bottles, bags, cigarettes, straws. Illegal commercial dumping also contributes.
3. Plastic Products that dumped down the drain: wet wipes, tampons, cotton swabs, bandages, contact lenses, dental floss, and polyester from clothes released in the washing machine. There are also plastic microbeads, tiny plastic balls added to many hygiene products, such as soap, facial scrub, and toothpaste, as an exfoliating agent (to make it feel "silky'). These microbeads are less than a millimeter in size and pass through filtration systems at water treatment plants with ease and end up in ocean ecosystems.
WWF article: www.wwf.org.uk/updates/how-does-plastic-end-ocean#targetText=Plastic%20you%20put%20in%20the,and%20the%20sea%20this%20way.
The US, Canada, France, and Britain, have recently banned plastic microbeads. Yay Congress! Although in the Microbead-Free Waters Act only applies to products with an exfoliating function, like toothpaste or face wash, not to other personal care products, or makeup. UGH CONGRESS! California and other countries have a strict ban banning all microbeads and not included loopholes.
What do I do with my polyester clothing? I have switched to cotton clothing but weary of simply throwing away my plastic shit
Wait... Why do people even use plastic bottle? Doesn't they get water in their homes? Can't they just fill a bottle from their home and take it with them outside?
We all know there are too many plastic bottles out there in landfills and our oceans...but what do YOU think is the best solution? Banning them? Switching to alternatives? Watch our video to hear some of the pros and cons of different potential solutions and let us know what YOU would do.
The best manageable solution is probably to invest in public water infrastructure like Paris and other European cities have. Making high-quality tap water widely available via filling stations, fountains, etc. and selling trendy reusable water bottles throughout the area to encourage consumption. People will be more liable to drink tap water at home if they know it's safe and actually better for you and will be able to fill easily while outside, or at work, etc.
Get rid of demand rather than banning as oil lobbies will likely fight very hard against any such measures.
hi
What about we start from decreasing the production and Manufacturing of packaged Plastic water bottle to bare minimum and using the recycled Plastics to make new Bottles as an initiative from companies! That way, due to decrease in supply from manufacturer, the quantity goes down and more importantly the price will go Up which'll make it Very less accessible to people! I think its better than Banning it from consumers end cause then think what'll happen to the Bottles already in Circulation, in shops, vendors, and stocks! 🤔
Tell me what you think, and the flaw in this idea, if any....
What about cardboard containers? Similar to milk cartons or juice boxes. I know they may not be as durable or work well with vending machines, but I'm curious about why they are not a good alternative.
Well cardboard is wood, right? Recyclable and degradable yes, but paper production also isn't too great for the environment.
Reusing things will always still be better then recycling whether it is plastic, aluminum or paper.
Personally I buy fresh orange juice every two weeks and simply reuse the bottle as a flask before finally throwing it into the plastic bin.
And yes, that doesn't work well with those flimsy one-time use bottles.
Yum. Fresh OJ. Now I want fresh OJ . . .
I try to make use infinitely as much as possible stuff too.
Give recycling responsibility back to manufacturers. That should be part of their costs (and by extension, the consumers of their products) not the public’s how many single use plastic bottles would go to landfills if they could be returned for a quarter? Levy taxes on manufacturers based on there recycling rates.
I just found this channel through the PBS digital studios survey and it's so great! I wish I had found you guys sooner!
Yay! We are so glad you found us and liked what you found. And thanks for taking the PBSDS survey!
Ratio
I know the alternatives aren't perfect, but aluminum is by far the best one
Now you can have an excuse when people ask you why you drink so much soda
OMG, I didn't know it. After this video, I'm not gonna use plastic. It'll be hard, but useful for environment
30 years ago in soviet union people didnt use plastic bottles and plastic bags at all. bottles were made of glass and bags were made of fabric and reusable. Was life so hard because of this? not at all, it was absolutely ok to live without plastic.
So glad that I found this channel through the PBS survey!
Welcome!! So glad you found us too!!
what about compostable paper-based containers? Like you know, how a lot of milk and juice boxes are today already.
A lot are lined with plastic. Some have a wax lining, and those are better, but the plastic lined ones are neither recyclable or biodegradable. The problem with cardboard is that it gets wet.
@@enduringbird well, we're discussing potential regulations. Here in my country the most common ones are lined with an aluminium film, which is inert in land, and I guess is shouldn't be massive enough to cause a problem by removing aluminium from the recycling chain.
Still, if there are wax-lined ones that's even better
There are ways to recycle PET plastic bottles into 3D printer filament. A relatively tiny market at present, but at least it's something. Hope it becomes popular!
I just started watching this and couldn't stop so I watched all of ur videos
I was shocked but not surprised to find out all these compostable packaging solutions are actually not so green as ppl are selling them to be
I've been using the same plastic water bottles for many years, and the same mesh "grocery bag" since 1989. If you live in the First World, you have (almost) no excuse. I hope that those unfortunate people whose tap water is contaminated at least recycle the containers of water that they receive.
Yeah, but those bottles aren't supposed to be reused, cause the plastic will slowly degrade and dissolve in the water that you drink.
@@raininginside looks like he died.. he's not replying
@@raininginside can't you use it for other purposes? Rat toys?
@@GthicratLastusednameCuterat Really😐?
@@ravikirantonapi7205 Yes you in fact can use it for rat toys!
RATE
Who else feels like using this video and crediting this guy for your 7th grade Argument Essay? ✋
This so informative thank you!
THANK YOU!
Point of service water purification systems are available for consumer use, and are more economical than a palette of water, even at Costco, much more so if you are buying at the grocer or quick shop. One of the bizarre developments in relief drives is donors sending bottled water to distressed areas, at great expense for shipping alone, when a few purification systems would provide much more water and much lower costs.
Great point!
Stainless steel is a good choice. Yes there is an upfront carbon emission issue, but since they are tough enough to last years, they do end up balancing back out.
Well, here in my city (Argentina) we've a lot of botting plants, they make big can of PVC of 5,10 and 20lts of pure water, using delivery trucks to reach safe water to your house. The prices are similar or cheaper to buying plastic bottles. The best thing, the can are reusable, so there is no plastic contamination. I think that this is a great idea, perhaps banning is an utopian idea but making plastic bottles or another recipent more expensive is an interesting option. Obviously is a matter of time. I hope goberments take to help our planet.
Nice videos guys, i love the animation. Nice beard myles 🔥🔥🔥🔥
For countries which no clean tab water, we can use a big bottle water instead of smaller one, and have more water and in work or shared homes to keep people safe from infection, we can use the big one 20 L and use paper cup instead of plastic cups or small water bottle, in addition to that they will keep moving to get their water so more active people we will get.
I think Aluminum is the way to go. Tack on a few more cents and let people recycle them for 20 or 30 cents. They'll make their way back.
I don't drink anything from plastic because it's gross. I stopped buying Snapple when they stopped using glass bottles.
I had to watch this video for my hw
Same lol I am reasearching why we should ban plastic water bottles
LMAO same
fair argument on the aluminum, glass, and degradable bottles but what about boxed carton water?
Is it possible to use boxed water? Is it better than plastic bottles? And why don't they replace boxed water with plastic bottles if it is better?
What about hemp based bottles? Would they have the same down side as corn based or are there other issues that would come along with it?
Great question! We'll have to look into the energy needed to harvest the hemp and any extra costs associated with it's transportation.
Education on how to be more responsible would likely be helpful. Perhaps the CEOs of larger companies should be required to take the courses.
So when we make cans with new aluminum it damages the enviroment, but not when they get recycle, am i getting it right? So, theoretically, if we can have enough aluminum and we recycle the 99,99% of them, we may limit the pollution at minimum. Is this correct?
theoretically yes
Canada wants to ban plastic bottles by 2021, but im really worried about what will happen to gatorade
Water filters?
My area has lead pipes and we just use lead filters and replace them every three months.
Lead water filters can definitely work in some instances, but did you know that the lead levels in some homes in Flint, MI are so high that those water filters aren't physically able to filter the lead out? Yeah. It's THAT bad!
What about Brita water filter pitchers?? You fill them up with tap water and it’s supposed to filter the water and make it safer to drink. If everyone had one and then used reusable bottles filled with that water that may be a good way to lower our plastic bottle usage??
Flint Michigan they could have gallon sizes bottles of water instead of the people drinking contaminated water and the water bottles would have to do to be jugs instead of bottles
Canada is doing this!
Ty it helped me with my school project
Great video! Although I did feel at one point you mentioned recycling is NOT enough because "most of it ends in landfills or the ocean" without ever citing a statistic of how much of recycled plastic bottles are 'recycled'. It could very well just be me, but it somewhat seemed like that was a point made based on a disjoint fact.
If (ideally, albeit) ALL plastic bottles were recycled, would that be enough?
cigol Yeah if you are going to state something as a fact, it's worthless without proper citations from a preferably peer reviewed journal.
Can you imagine the damage to the planet, done by the NECESSARY use of bottled water in Flint, MI ? And they needed to use it for everEEEthing! Drinking cleaning cooking.
uh...
ma'am no offense but your sentence makes no sense, and what is "everEEEthing"? please explain I am getting irritated
Now that's a lot of damage
Nice video on unintended consequences of presumably good actions.
What about hemp based bottles? Would they have the same down side as corn based or are there other issues that would come along with it?
Please reply
Your videos are thought provoking and responses to them do not translate well to simple TH-cam comments.
Thanks! I guess? We love TH-cam comments, but we also like topics that require the viewer to think deeply.
Doing this in ms cannon class
Same
My main problem with tap water is what they haven't figured out how to filter out yet: drugs. Yep - from antibiotics to pain pills to steroids, they're in your tap water. This is particularly harmful to kids of course.
So aluminum cans are a good alternative, but we're just too lazy to recycle them?
Bottle container materials have tough requirements: On the one hand they should have a long shelf life with often corrosive beverages and then decompose quickly without corrosion help.
Indeed. There is no magic bullet solution when it comes to portable containers that transfer liquids.
6:40 man got that light skin stare
🤨
Unfortunately, recycling plastic bottles is currently not as profitable as recycling aluminum cans. This is due to China cutting off imports of recyclable waste and the amount of plastic per bottle has shrunk over the past few decades. Another complicating factor is that people wish-cycle, i.e. giving waste to recycling centers in the hope that it will be recycled but it cannot be recycled or processed. Wish-cycling adds additional complexity to sorting out waste for recyclables. Some centers may dump loads in landfills if they even lightly contaminated.
Ah yes. Wish-cycling. It's real. If you don't think too hard you can convince yourself that you're a grade-A environmentalist!
The way my teacher told us to watch this
switch plastic bottles for paper box
No mentioning of incineration?
Of Plastic?
Not recycled = in the ocean ... what? You took so many shortcuts in this video.
I'm sorry you feel that way. We do our best.
@VojěchKaiser Very good point! The WWF has a good article on this, but I will summarize their 3 points here.
1. Plastic being blown away at some point on its journey from the curb to the landfill. This happens a lot because plastic is so lightweight.
2. Littering. This is the obvious one. Bottles, bags, cigarettes, straws. Illegal dumping also contributes.
3. Plastic Products that go down the drain. Wet wipes, tampons, cotton swabs, bandages, dental floss, polyester from are clothes released in the washing machine. There are also microbeads, tiny plastic balls added to many hygiene products, such as soap, facial scrub, and toothpaste, as an exfoliating agent (to make it feel "silky').
Here's the link to the WWF article: www.wwf.org.uk/updates/how-does-plastic-end-ocean#targetText=Plastic%20you%20put%20in%20the,and%20the%20sea%20this%20way.
(I'm also posting this as a regular comment)
@@andrewstettner8450 true. Working retail I had to clean up parking lots every day and toss things because policies more so. It is so much waste and especially when storms happen with wind blowing.
Then why can't we just search for plastic before we throw it in the ocean
Great content
3
It should be for the sea animal
What was wrong with glass bottles???
is its heavier, you cant package as much, you can transport ad ship as much, it will need more transport trips, more feul, more money and nobody is going to carry an 8 ounce fucking bottle around everywhere
It's not that hard just to reuse a water bottle. We definitely need some rules. Plastic pollution is horrible
The problem is there are just too many humans.
Inquisitive Frog
PURGEEE
no more many now '_'
If you are so concerned about water quality then use water filter stop using bottled water
Ofc u r correct we should ban plastic bottles and plastic bags
Plastic straws in the EU should not be banned. It should be an alternative to those who need it, but should not be overused.
Kinda like maybe less produced or shipped out so the product can start diminishing yk
We switched to plastic because it was cheaper, particularly when you factor in shipping and breakage. It's recyclable, but recycling isn't free or environmentally perfect. Public drinking fountains are less numerous than decades ago, so that "free drinking water" is only safe and "everyplace" when you're in the nicest part of town. So the solution is carrying our water with us in canteens like soldiers left over from WWII. These plastic bans are just nanny-state government looking for an easier and cheaper solution than improving their recycling programs.
Thanks for the comment!
Buy glass bottle water first, help them stay in business
Was playing
Yes it should for the sea animal
Electric cars are no more environmentally sustainable than gas powered cars if electric cars are fueled by unsustainable energy. That is not to say that electric cars are not worth pursuing from an environmental perspective but it points out that there are no quick and easy solutions to massive complex issues. In order for plastic alternatives to avoid causing more problems, the system and encompassing systems have to be redesigned in order to accept that material. A material which makes the most sense in all capacities, sustainably speaking.
There are major things to consider when comparing alternatives. Through the lens of environmental studies these considerations can initially be segregated into larger over-compassing categories such as the economy, equality, and the environment. However, the end design has to consider all of these things in the context of reality. Many proponents of the current system will argue that because there are issues with alternatives such as paper bags, then it is better to continue on the way things are. Reality is that there are no quick and easy solutions to anything on a scale such as this so it is imperative that this pitfall is avoided as this could prevent the exploration of alternatives.
#2
To be honest I really don’t think bottles are the problem, the problem is all the packaging on items that don’t need to be there
No brainer. Any reasonable educated person should agree. You have to weigh what causes the least pollution. Replace all plastic and styrofoam products with aluminum, hemp, bamboo, cactus, and other form of wood. Remember as much as it pollutes cutting down trees, we have the space to plant more. It takes hundreds of years for plastic to decompose as opposed to 5-10 years for a tree to fully grow. We have millions of acres of bare land.
Slightly dancing cactice
2:26
0:16 Water harvested from Africa not good enough for ya?
the plastic bottles themselves isnt the problem. the problem is recycling them. if we recycled 100% of them there wouldn't be a problem.
Plastic isn't infinitely recyclable like glass and aluminum. Recycled plastic doesn't have the same properties as original plastic and it can only be recycled so many times before it's unusable. Plus, plastic is so cheap to make that it isn't cost effective to recycle.
@@enduringbird well what happens to plastic after it can't be recycled anymore?
@@enduringbird after its recycled is it not still (C10H8O4)n?
@@thebestnerd4444 There is more to a compound than it's chemical composition. Just like how glucose and fructose are C6H12O6 and yet different sugars with completely different chemical properties, the structure of the plastic is just as important as it's chemical makeup. When the plastic is recycled, it's structure degrades and it becomes lesser quality. It can be used to make things like park benches or clothing fibers, but not plastic bottles again. Those things can then no longer be recycled.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-many-times-can-one-plastic-bottle-be-recycled_uk_5bc9b98be4b0d38b58771df3?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANIS8ifhhf-m3rugjVzofwRuRsVyVNl0Ds8Fc7lWitFrJP_GECQdqI14b3sciqDyHaf7gA3Kh9CSmJ0Cvo84fyJjM9-o4my2yfgySyQq2zUCStjj9RRSl9N9Muvp1JFcGAODRkL8zXnqm7KAYohzGjfrLZU-kJLnYc0fmxdDvMME
@@thebestnerd4444 It gets thrown away
Microorganisms is the answer
Yes, ban plastic bottle and bags. Kangen lyfe is the way to go. Better than plastic bottles, tap, and saves you money.
Will definitely hurt the planet.
Will Smith? if yes then I agree, that shitty "just water" company is no help
screw the plastic
cardboard cartons like milk are the solution no?
Check out this article! grist.org/living/is-boxed-water-actually-eco-friendly/
.
Blocko
whos here from school
...as I'm drinking soda... with straw😏
Your thing on clean drinking water being from plastic water bottles is nonsensical as a solution to accessibility in poor countries. From my experience with friends who have worked in NGOs on this, the lack of bottled water is not the problem. Again your Flint example is also a false dichotomy. While I commend you actually researching the issue somewhat, your logic is fundamentally flawed.
Who has one youtube comment and has never been to India? ^^^ This guy ^^^
yes they should be banned
this rationalization is silly -- no plastic bottles period.
Counter ratio + L