ACT Government and Plastic Bags
Posted on September 7, 2009 by by georgestacey@hotmail.comwilds ing
I support the withdrawal of plastic bags designed to carry things.
More importantly the Government should ban the use of the so call “green bags” being introduced into the supermarkets by Coles and Woolworths and others. These are worse than plastic bags. They are made of Polypropylene which when burnt produces carcinogenic compounds. If not burnt this material is indestructable and remains in the environment and our oceans forever. THESE POLYPROPYLENE BAGS ARE WORSE THAN THE NORMAL LIGHT PLASTIC BAGS AND SHOULD BE BANNED FIRST.
We should be encouraging the use of cotton bags which we used to be able to buy. They are cheap to produce, can be washed in a washing machine, easily dried, and are environmentally friendly. They also take up little space when not in use. You can even dry your hands on them if no paper towels are available.
George Stacey
EVATT
3 Comments to “ACT Government and Plastic Bags”
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I’d be hesitant claiming that cotton is the miracle panacea.
A Quick search on Google shows lots of detrimental economic, social and environmental effects from cotton production that probably make the use of plastics pale in to insignificance:
Here are some reasons why organic cotton production is important to the long-term health of the planet (based on US data)
* Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and defoliants.). (Allan Woodburn)
* Approximately 10% of all pesticides sold for use in U. S. agriculture were applied to cotton in 1997, the most recent year for which such data is publicly available. (ACPA)
* Fifty-five million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 12.8 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2003 (4.3 pounds/ acre), ranking cotton third behind corn and soybeans in total amount of pesticides sprayed. (USDA)
* Over 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to conventional cotton in 2000 (142 pounds/acre), making cotton the fourth most heavily fertilized crop behind corn, winter wheat, and soybeans. (USDA)
*The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin). (EPA)
*In 1999, a work crew re-entered a cotton field about five hours after it was treated with tribufos and sodium chlorate (re-entry should have been prohibited for 24 hours). Seven workers subsequently sought medical treatment and five have had ongoing health problems. (California DPR)
Sources:
1. Allen Woodburn Associates Ltd./Managing Resources Ltd., “Cotton: The Crop and its Agrochemicals Market,” 1995.
2. American Crop Protection Association, “1997 Total U. S. Sales by Crop Protection Product Type and Market,” 1998 ACPA Industry Profile.
3. California Department of Pesticide Regulation, “DPR Releases Data on 1999 Pesticide Injuries,” 2001.
4. U. S. Department of Agriculture, “Agricultural Chemical Usage: 2003 Field Crop Summary.”
5. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, “List of Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential,” 2001.
And let’s not forget the issues with Cotton production in Australia associated with Water use:
Cubbie Station cotton irrigation blamed for Darling River damage
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1139216.htm
I vote to retain plastic bags and improve end user education instead.
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Jonathon said: I vote to retain plastic bags and improve end user education instead.
That would be me..
I thought the green bags were good
What about the old-fashioned String bags? I guess it would depend on what they are made of, right?
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