Would Banning Plastic Bottles Help or Hurt the Planet?

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Plastic bottles are EVERYWHERE and are a big source of pollution. But banning them might create another problem for the environment. Here's why.

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**How did plastic bottles become such a problem**
Early forms of plastic have existed since the mid-1800s. But when WWII came along, scientists diverted all their plastic technology to help with the war effort. So after the war, all this plastic needed to go somewhere, so why not the American consumer? What we got was a plastic explosion, and it's never really stopped. That's why today, it's estimated that humans have created over 8 BILLION tons of plastic, most of which still exist. See, plastic doesn't ever really break down completely or biodegrade -- it just breaks apart into smaller and smaller pieces over time. These tiny bits of plastic make their way into oceans, creating a plastic soup of pollution that can get into the bellies of all kinds of marine animals like fish, pelicans, and turtles. Some research studies predict that by 2050, pound for pound, plastics in the oceans will outweigh all the fish.

**What are the pros and cons around banning plastic bottles?**
About 70% of plastic water bottles bought in the U.S. are not recycled, and so end up in the oceans. On top of that, plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels. In fact, the Pacific Institute found that it took about 17 million barrels of oil to produce enough plastic for the bottles of water consumed by Americans in 2006. And since then, consumption has increased by 65%, meaning Americans need over 28 million barrels of oil to fuel their plastic water bottle needs for one year.

But banning plastic bottles altogether can have unintended consequences. After the University of Vermont instituted their ban on selling single-use plastic water bottles on campus, total shipments of all plastic bottles actually INCREASED 20 percent as people bought OTHER plastic bottle beverages like soda and juice instead. And switching to alternatives like glass or metal containers can require more energy to transport because they weigh more. That means burning more fossil fuels and creating more pollution.

SOURCES:
Fast Facts About Plastic Pollution (National Geographic)

What's the real price of getting rid of plastic packaging? (BBC)

A million bottles a minute (The Guardian)

2017 United States National Postconsumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report

The environmental impact of corn-based plastic (Scientific American)

Key moments in lead in water crisis in Flint, Michigan (US News)

State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation

FOR EDUCATORS

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[TrekkieBrie]

I love/hate the topic of plastic, I just completed microplastic research in the gulf of Mexico last month. I'm by no means trying to discount the harm of so many plastic bottles being used, but just to compare the macro plastic problem with the micro plastic one; initially the biggest plastic pollutant (for microplastics) we found was fibers, most likely from washing machines. However when we went back to our samples to try and solve the case of the mysterious clear strands that looked like plastics, acted like plastics, but couldn't be IDed, we finally determined they were from cigarette boy were there a lot of them. So much so that we initially discounted them in our data before realizing what they were. The most prolific and shocking form of microplastic pollution was the filters in cigarettes, and you're eating them if you eat seafood. Again this isn't to say single use bottles aren't a major problem, just that it's so much more than just single use plastics that are destroying our oceans. Love this channel and your content, please keep it up! ☺️

[AKrn]

People go through 300+ bottles of water a year? I don't go through any so who's using my share?

[AboveTheNoise]

We all know there are too many plastic bottles out there in landfills and our oceans...but what do YOU think is the best solution? Banning them? Switching to alternatives? Watch our video to hear some of the pros and cons of different potential solutions and let us know what YOU would do.

[andrewstettner]

In the video, they kinda skipped over how the unrecycled plastic ends up in the ocean. The WWF has a great article on this which I'm gonna summarize a bit here.

1. Plastic being blown away at some point on its journey from the curb to the landfill. This happens a lot because plastic is so lightweight. Once at a landfill, plastic usually doesn't get into the environment, as landfills in the US are generally well managed.


2. Littering. This is the obvious one. Bottles, bags, cigarettes, straws. Illegal commercial dumping also contributes.


3. Plastic Products that dumped down the drain: wet wipes, tampons, cotton swabs, bandages, contact lenses, dental floss, and polyester from clothes released in the washing machine. There are also plastic microbeads, tiny plastic balls added to many hygiene products, such as soap, facial scrub, and toothpaste, as an exfoliating agent (to make it feel "silky'). These microbeads are less than a millimeter in size and pass through filtration systems at water treatment plants with ease and end up in ocean ecosystems.

[rgbii]

What about cardboard containers? Similar to milk cartons or juice boxes. I know they may not be as durable or work well with vending machines, but I'm curious about why they are not a good alternative.

[foscorsohil]

Wait... Why do people even use plastic bottle? Doesn't they get water in their homes? Can't they just fill a bottle from their home and take it with them outside?

[mckrokonus]

Reusing things will always still be better then recycling whether it is plastic, aluminum or paper.
Personally I buy fresh orange juice every two weeks and simply reuse the bottle as a flask before finally throwing it into the plastic bin.

And yes, that doesn't work well with those flimsy one-time use bottles.

[rea]

We have amazing tap water yet people still prefer to buy it in plastic bottles because they believe it is better 🤦🤦🤦

[ilovebats]

I just found this channel through the PBS digital studios survey and it's so great! I wish I had found you guys sooner!

[Caesar]

30 years ago in soviet union people didnt use plastic bottles and plastic bags at all. bottles were made of glass and bags were made of fabric and reusable. Was life so hard because of this? not at all, it was absolutely ok to live without plastic.

[shakertakatkah]

For countries which no clean tab water, we can use a big bottle water instead of smaller one, and have more water and in work or shared homes to keep people safe from infection, we can use the big one 20 L and use paper cup instead of plastic cups or small water bottle, in addition to that they will keep moving to get their water so more active people we will get.

[Azknowledgethirsty]

I know the alternatives aren't perfect, but aluminum is by far the best one

Now you can have an excuse when people ask you why you drink so much soda

[thomasr.jackson]

Give recycling responsibility back to manufacturers. That should be part of their costs (and by extension, the consumers of their products) not the public’s how many single use plastic bottles would go to landfills if they could be returned for a quarter? Levy taxes on manufacturers based on there recycling rates.

[xo_vallee]

OMG, I didn't know it. After this video, I'm not gonna use plastic. It'll be hard, but useful for environment

[thomasr.jackson]

Point of service water purification systems are available for consumer use, and are more economical than a palette of water, even at Costco, much more so if you are buying at the grocer or quick shop. One of the bizarre developments in relief drives is donors sending bottled water to distressed areas, at great expense for shipping alone, when a few purification systems would provide much more water and much lower costs.

[happysingh]

I just started watching this and couldn't stop so I watched all of ur videos

[thenameidontdesire]

Who else feels like using this video and crediting this guy for your 7th grade Argument Essay? ✋

[tellsitasitis]

I think Aluminum is the way to go. Tack on a few more cents and let people recycle them for 20 or 30 cents. They'll make their way back.

[flymypg]

There are ways to recycle PET plastic bottles into 3D printer filament. A relatively tiny market at present, but at least it's something. Hope it becomes popular!

[dramonmaster]

So glad that I found this channel through the PBS survey!