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Debate: should plastic bags be banned?

23 September 2009

It is estimated that each year 500 billion plastic bags are used around the world. The majority are only used once, and often very briefly.

Is this use of plastic bags really sustainable? Each year millions of discarded plastic bags pollute our rivers and oceans and even when disposed of correctly they can take up to 100 years to biodegrade. In some countries they have been taxed out of use.

  • Has the time come for governments to step in and ban them?
  • Or is would this be an unwanted interference in our lives?
  • Should we educate people to be more sensible in using plastic bags?
  • Or are there more important issues for us to worry about?

What is your view on this? Have your say, and debate the issue here on PCS comment, and a selection of the comments will be published in View, the monthly magazine for PCS members.

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  1. Oh Hamish!

    12 October 2009

    Oh Hamish, you poor misguided soul. Don't you realise that we need a nanny state - look around you. And its not just our poor friends the dolphins who are being slowly poisoned by these horrible plastic bags. In the Pacific and Atlantic oceans there are whole slicks of human detritus floating on the surface. Think of the poor albatross, that noble bird soaring over the oceans. And when he swoops down to the mighty ocean for his daily feast of fish, his poor head gets trapped in a Tesco bag and he slowly chokes to death. It saddens me so much to think of this :-(

    Florian Potter
    Plastic bags

    8 October 2009

    Dear Hamish, you don't really expect people to agree with the statement that "we can all be trusted to be responsible with our behaviour", do you? Really?? So no-one in your locale drops litter, walks dogs and leaves dog mess, fly-tips, etc? And plastic bags kill dolphins because they swallow them, the bags become embedded in their intestines, which swell, developing ulcers and abcesses. These cause blood poisoning and death. So does lots of other rubbish.

    Dan Tanzey
    Nanny state

    7 October 2009

    Oh come on! isn't this just a case of the nanny state? we can all be trusted to be responsible with our behaviour can't we? And Florian - how on earth do plastic bags kill dolphins?

    Hamish Slugg
    Ban 'Em

    1 October 2009

    I have tried twice to place a reply on this discussion but it has failed due to technical problems (allegedly). If a plethora of my replies suddenly appear then I genuinely apologise! The lack of any other replies speaks volumes - sadly there is no interest in plastic bags whatsoever. However, I completely agree with Florian - ban them. Having said that, I would suggest that there are more important issues going on in the world today. When millions are starving, millions are sick, millions haven't got a roof over their heads, then sadly plastic bags must take second stage to all the problems caused by a failed capitalist society. All this would be remedied by a properly run socialist society.

    Lin Black
    A plague on all our houses

    1 October 2009

    Plastic bags are a plague on all our houses! We should be ashamed. These hideous creations are the leagcy we will leave our children and grandchildren. The Egyptians left us pyramids, the Romans left us the Colliseum. What will we leave? plastic bags swilling around our oceans for hundreds of years and killing dolphins. Yes, ban them now!

    Florian Potter
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