Alex Jesshope S0240628 AT2 GLOBAL SCIENCE

Miller, G. T., & Spoolman, S.E. (2013). Environmental Science (14

th
ed.). Belmont, USA:
Yolando Cossio.

To the Manager of my local grocery store,
I am writing to you to express my concern of the use of plastic bags in your stores, and the
devastating impacts it has on the local region of Mackay. A coastal city, Mackay has a range of
various natural habitats and ecosystems which depend on one another for survival. The area of
concern is the Pioneer River region, particularly along the Blue Water Trail. While there are bins
and waste disposal points distributed throughout the area, the cause of the problem is the
properties of the plastic bags provided by your stores. Plastic bags are considered as muncipal solid
waste, (Miller & Spoolman, 2013), a form of solid waste produced by homes and workplaces across
the world. As plastic in any form can take up 400-1000 years to break down, it is our chance to act
now to begin reducing the impacts humans have made on our planet. Made from the non-
renewable resource oil, water is made up of polymer molecules which are composed by repeated
carbon-containing compound called monomers (Miller & Spoolman, 2013). Due to the chemical
composition of plastic, it holds its structure and becomes difficult for it to decay or break down.
When plastic gets caught in the natural environment, turtles and other marine life mistake the litter
for jellyfish and other food sources, instantly suffocating them.
I propose that your stores integrate paper and fabric bags, free of charge for customers to use.
Paper is the result of fibres from timber and other recycled paper. The process requires the
breakdown of the fibres through water and steam to produce pulp, which is then dried out and cut
into various forms of paper. Compared to plastic, as paper comes from a biodegradable resource, it
only takes about 3-4 weeks to decompose. Fabric bags are another valuable resource to consider in
the comparison, as they can have multiple uses and can be used repeatedly.
In conclusion, I hope you consider my proposal about replacing plastic bags with more
environmentally friendly options such as paper or fabric bags in your stores. If these resources are
readily available for customers, our natural environment will have a significant improvement in
native wild life populations and natural ecosystems.
Thank you for considering my suggestions and I hope that you too begin altering your actions to help
keep our beautiful planet green!
Regards,
Alex Jesshope