In the ocean, there is a huge amount of plastic bags, bottles, etc. that are found entering the ocean each year. To be exact, 4.8 million tons of plastic. That is way too much and we need to do something about it. For example, we should find a way to Think Big like flat out banning plastic bags in the united states. While this is a huge feat, it would be great to substitute plastic bags for 100% compostable bag. Sun Chip's have substituted plastic bags for the 100% compostable bag which has a huge affect and could make the difference.

https://www.marinelittersolutions.com/a … oC40Lw_wcB

http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/02/new … mpostable/

I agree that banning plastic bags in the United States and replacing them with 100% compostable bags would be an excellent way to help the environment, as it would reduce pollution and save marine life. Even though it would be a big task, it would definitely be worth it. The Bay Area has already taken steps toward this, as most stores charge extra for bags. I know this definitely makes a difference, as before moving to the Bay Area, my old town did not have any sort of regulation on plastic bags. People would come home with about five plastics bags after grocery shopping, which would then just go to waste after the groceries had been put away. In the Bay Area, however, almost everyone brings reusable bags when shopping, decreasing the amount of both plastic and paper bags wasted. Charging for plastic bags has been proven to work, as according to ocean.si.edu, in 2002 Ireland began charging 15 cents for plastic bags, causing the use of plastic bags to decrease by 90%. However, we should not only be looking to decrease the use of plastic bags, but to stop it completely. Be cause we have alternatives to plastic bags, such as reusable bags and compostable bags, this ban would not be unrealistic, but rather essential to our world's future.

I agree that plastic could be a big answer to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Like you said plastic doesn't only affect the atmosphere but it also has an affect on marine life. It would be very hard to stop the usage of plastic bags because companies around the world use them because they are much cheaper than paper bags or compostable plastic bags. Charging extra for bags in stores is a step towards helping the environment but many people forget to bring their own bags or don't care about the extra fee. Hopefully plastic bags can be banned completely so the atmosphere will be improved and marine life will be safe.

I totally agree that banning plastic bags in the United States and replacing them with 100% compostable bags would be an excellent way to help the environment, because it would reduce pollution and save marine life. Even if it would be a big task, it would definitely be worth it, especially at this time. I also love how the Bay Area has already taken steps toward this, as most stores charge extra for bags, which is the right thing to do. In the Bay Area, the only that is happening is that almost everyone brings reusable bags when shopping, decreasing the amount of both plastic and paper bags wasted. Through research, charging for plastic bags has been proven to work, as according to ocean.si.edu, in 2002 Ireland began charging 15 cents for plastic bags, causing the use of plastic bags to decrease by 90%. But this all should not only be looking to decrease the use of plastic bags, but to stop it completely.

I think that banning plastic bags is a great way to start. I think that instead of replacing plastic bags with paper bags we should only use reusable bags. Paper bags still are using paper, which causing deforestation. Ireland has one of the highest CO2 amounts for purchases and food. Because they have the highest amount, that means that they most likely are the ones using the most paper and plastic bags. I think that focusing on the country with the highest amounts of CO2 will help the over all CO2 count and encourage other countries to use reusable bags too.