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ConservingNow Community Change
Florida's Environmental Study on Plastic Bags
Posted on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 13:29
The News Herald reported last week on an environmental study about plastic bags in Florida. Sure, there isn't much new in the report - and by that I mean there isn't much we don't already know about the dangers and pollution of plastic bags. But there are some excerpts that are worth reposting here.
"It’s apparently still not that cool to recycle disposable bags, however. The DEP reports that only 12 percent of plastic bags and 37 percent of paper bags are reused or recycled.
The rest find their way into trash or the environment.
“Plastic and paper bags are not inherently bad but they have terrible consequences in a throw-away society,” the report says.
Among those consequences:
• Bags in the ocean degrade into small plastic flakes that resemble plankton. Studies have found that plastic particles actually outnumber real plankton in certain parts of the ocean, where they are ingested by aquatic life.
• Plastic bags start as small, spherical pellets called “nurdles.” A large amount of nurdles are lost in transport and manufacturing, and wash into waterways, where they resemble fish eggs. The report cites a study in which 55 percent of birds species examined had ingested plastic particles."
Its so sad to read these statistics. When will society ever learn? There is nothing convenient about plastic bags.
Read more here:
http://www.newsherald.com/news/neither-81206-paper-plastic.html
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