"Biodegradable Plastic Bags, Not So Biodegradable" by Vicky Stein The average person uses a typical plastic bag for as short a time as 12 minutes before throwing it away, never thinking of where it may end up. Yet once consigned to a landfill, that standard grocery store tote takes hundreds or thousands of years to break down — much more than a human lifetime. Bags make up an alarming amount of the plastic found in whale stomachs or bird nests, and it’s no wonder — globally, we use between 1 and 5 trillion plastic bags each year. Biodegradable plastic bags are marketed as more eco-friendly solutions, able to break down into harmless material more quickly than traditional plastics. One company claims their shopping bag “will degrade and biodegrade in a continuous, irreversible and unstoppable process” if it ends up as litter in the environment. In a study published this week in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers put supposedly eco-friendly bags made from various organic and plastic materials and sourced from U.K. stores to the test. After three years buried in garden soil, submerged in ocean water, exposed to open light and air or stashed in a laboratory, none of the bags broke down completely in all the environments. © NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Question

"Biodegradable Plastic Bags, Not So Biodegradable" by Vicky Stein The average person uses a typical plastic bag for as short a time as 12 minutes before throwing it away, never thinking of where it may end up. Yet once consigned to a landfill, that standard grocery store tote takes hundreds or thousands of years to break down — much more than a human lifetime. Bags make up an alarming amount of the plastic found in whale stomachs or bird nests, and it’s no wonder — globally, we use between 1 and 5 trillion plastic bags each year. Biodegradable plastic bags are marketed as more eco-friendly solutions, able to break down into harmless material more quickly than traditional plastics. One company claims their shopping bag “will degrade and biodegrade in a continuous, irreversible and unstoppable process” if it ends up as litter in the environment. In a study published this week in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers put supposedly eco-friendly bags made from various organic and plastic materials and sourced from U.K. stores to the test. After three years buried in garden soil, submerged in ocean water, exposed to open light and air or stashed in a laboratory, none of the bags broke down completely in all the environments. © NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Answer 1

The article discusses the issue of biodegradable plastic bags not actually being as biodegradable as they claim to be. While these bags are marketed as a more environmentally friendly option, they still take a significant amount of time to break down and can still contribute to pollution and harm to wildlife.

The study mentioned in the article tested various biodegradable bags sourced from U.K. stores in different environments such as soil, water, and air. After three years, none of the bags completely broke down in all environments, suggesting that their biodegradability claims may be exaggerated or misleading.

The article also highlights the extensive use of plastic bags globally and their negative impact on the environment, including the ingestion of plastic by marine animals. The long lifespan of plastic bags in landfills is a major concern, as they can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose.

Overall, the article raises awareness about the limitations and potential false claims of biodegradable plastic bags. It emphasizes the need for more sustainable alternatives and greater efforts to reduce plastic waste altogether.