Band 6+: In many countries, plastic shopping bags are the main source of rubbish, causing pollution on land and in the water. So, many people believe that plastic bags should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

At the present time, plastic shopping bags have become an indispensable part in the life. Which means is we can see it anywhere all of the world. There has been a lot of debate surrounding whether or not we should use plastic bags. Personally, I think that banning plastic bags worldwide is essential to save our environment.

There is no doubt that the culprit causing large amounts of waste, marine pollution and global climate change all have the presence of plastic waste, especially plastic bags. Firstly, because the number of plastic bags used in recent years has been increasing which leads to an increase in plastic waste in the environment. Plastic can waste lasts a long time in the environment and releases toxic substances into the soil and water of people’s daily activities which are dangerous to humans and nature.

Furthermore, Plastic bags are also the main cause of marine pollution, especially the death of marine life when they accidentally eat them. Plastic waste from land drifting into the ocean is at an alarming rate, reaching billions of tons each year. In a report of Scientists from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced in 2020 that till 2050, the amount of plastic waste discharged directly into the ocean by humans will be greater than the mass of fish in the world’s oceans. The only way to prevent throw-away plastic, such as plastic shopping bags is to prohibit it.

However, it is best to try to change consumer behaviour before completely banning plastic bags. Plastic bags can be replaced by other products that are more environmentally friendly because they are just a convenience product and not a necessity. Another way is raise the cost of plastic bags to encourage people to reuse them. Finally, offering discounts for using recycled plastic bags is also helpful. Changing consumer behavior will have long-term positive environmental consequences.

In conclusion, we can observe that plastic bags are the main reason for rubbish in landfills and marine pollution. Therefore, a complete ban on plastic bags is extremely important to protect life on this planet and completely prevent the negative effects of plastic waste on our living environment.