Earlier this year, around March, I became really focused on saving the environment. It had never really occurred to me how much plastic really destroys the planet until I started to do research on it. At first, I didn’t think only one person could do something about it. But after a while, I realized not using one straw or one plastic bottle could save a sea animal’s life, or just help the environment bit by bit.
In San Fransisco, a new ban on plastic bottles was engaged. However, officials only allowed it to be on city property. Therefore, private owners could do what they wanted. I really like that San Francisco is trying to do something about how many plastic bottles are used. I am really against plastic bottles and have been trying to reduce my plastic waste by using reusable bottles and metal straws. So reading this article really put my faith into a less plastic using future.
There are many main reasons why we should ban the use of plastic bottles . A lot of facts were very surprising, but, in the long run, really make sense. It really surprised me how many plastic bottles were used per year compared to how many of those are recycled. Americans alone used 50 billion bottles in 2006, but only recycled 38 billion. That’s only 23 percent! Not only is it destroying the planet, but it’s not helping our wallets either. Instead of just using tap water, which would be roughly $0.49 a year for eight glasses of water a day, we are spending $1,400 a year. There are so many cheaper and safer options for the environment. It makes me upset to see humans trashing the world like they are. We’re supposed to take care of the Earth, so why aren’t we?
Photo by eutrophication&hypoxia 
Dear Penelope,
I am intrigued by your claims of how plastic bottles negatively impact our society. I have lived in an urban environment for all my life. The city is constantly being trashed with plastic bottles. I know I don’t have the willpower to force everyone to pick up their trash, but I wish I did.
One sentence that really stood out to me was, “there are so many cheaper and safer options for the environment. It makes me upset to see humans trashing the world like they are.” This sentence really stood out to me because of how relatable it is. We are constantly creating an unsanitary environment, but a lot of us don’t seem to do anything about it.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because of how littering impacts our society. Your post should be shared with everyone who constantly throws their trash on the sidewalk.
Check out my blog : https://cleanconeyisland.wordpress.com
Dear Penelope,
I am intrigued by your claims and how the ignorance of others really impact our environment.Plastic bottles have been a big issue especially in the city. I have lived majority of my life in an urban environment and constantly see bottles on the sidewalk day after day. I acknowledge your claims about having 23 percent of our plastic bottles being improperly disposed.
One sentence that really stood out to me in your post was, “there are so many cheaper and safer options for the environment.” This sentence really stood out to me because of how relatable it is. Several companies stopped using plastic to serve their food and grocery stores sell reusable straws. However, our society constantly ignores these options that help our environment.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because of how pollution negatively impacts our world. We should take the time to share this information to help stop others from littering.
Check out my blog : https://cleanconeyisland.wordpress.com
Dear Penelope :
I am interested about your ideas about banning plastic bottles, I agree that plastic pollution is an important thing in our world and that we need to protect the environment against pollution. As you mentioned, there are about 50 billion bottles used by Americans in one year with only 38 billion being recycled. That leaves 12 billion bottles left which is a lot of plastic bottles.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “ That’s only 23 percent! Not only is it destroying the planet, but it’s not helping our wallets either.” I think this is interesting because 23% left unrecycled is a big number compared to how much is actually being left which is a much bigger number.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because what you posted is important and should be shared. This information is very useful in showing how much pollution is exactly in the world.
You should check out my blog at https://peopleagainstpollution.wordpress.com/
Penelope-
I believe you are bringing up an important issue regarding an environment. I recently learned about an organization called the Plastic Bank. They work in underdeveloped countries to collect plastic for recycling and provide jobs to communities.https://www.plasticbank.com/go-plastic-neutral/#.XHQMOfZFzZs I think this may be useful for your research.
Good Luck!
Isabell
I agree with you because plastic bottles just build up in the ocean to create things like The Pacific trash vortex and kill sea life.
I agree because plastic can really mess up the environment and ecosystem.
i think shouldn’t because the tap water is too nasty for people’s health ?????????
Actually, it is´t bad for our health, printwand.com states, ¨bottled water is tested for microbes and other water pollution four times less than tap water¨ and there are chemicals like PET [polyethylene terephthalate] that are in the plastic in water bottles that are bad for our health. they also contain BPA [bisphenol A] which causes certain cancers. i´m no scientist i just do my research you idiot. P.s i´m 12.
I agree with San Francisco about the plastic water ban. It is saving the environment and saving them a lot of money as well. Maybe now other states will follow in the footsteps.
Great post, Penelope! I completely agree with you that we should all try to do better for our environment. Especially considering the use of plastic, there are so many alternatives we could turn to that are much less harmful. Based on your post, I think you would really enjoy this article (https://wellnessmama.com/58889/plastic-water-bottle-alternatives/) that I’ve recently read. I look forward to reading your next posts!
Your comment, “Instead of just using tap water, which would be roughly $0.49 a year for eight glasses of water a day, we are spending $1,400 a year.” is impacting because for a society that thrives off of capitalism and the economy, why aren’t we doing every little thing to reduce everyday costs? I think an answer could be found in our search for convenience. We would rather do things that help us short-term rather than long-term. The information you bring on San Francisco is interesting and will lead me to read more on the subject.
I think plastic water bottles, and plastic in general, is very harmful to the environment. While plastic water bottles might be hard to ban, it could be easier to try and move other forms of packaged food and products from plastic packaging to things like cardboard and paper.
Hi Penelope,
I think you have a strong point, but I think that it would be hard to ban plastic bottles many people use bottles as a way for their intake of water. Bottles are a very efficient way for people to access water when they are not at home and on the go. Places like marathons and running events need water and the best way is bottled water, you can try to use biodegradable bottles but they do just that they don’t last long enough. Plastic bottles are stronger and cost less to make. We can not ban bottles but we can change how people dispose of them.
Hi Penelope,
I completely agree with your argument and I believe this issue has become much larger in recent years. As of right now, it might be a little difficult to issue a nationwide or world wide ban on bottled water, but there are definitely some steps we can take before that. Touching on what you mentioned, the importance of recycling could be raise and stressed much more than how it currently is. New standards could be put in place regarding recycling bins and reducing plastic waste. Do you think it is the easy disposability of water bottles and other plastics that makes it easy to forget about the environment? How long do you think it will take before this issue finally catches up to us? Overall you did a really nice job, and I liked the sources you used to back your argument.
-Vibha
Penelope,
I appreciate your writing of this article, this is a very important issue that not many people recognize or act on to improve. I will say though, that I did find some things that I think you could use to improve your argument. One of the main things is to do a facts check, in your post you said that only 38 out of 50 billion water bottles are recycled, but then referred to that relation as 23%, which mathematically doesn’t add up. Making sure you have accurate facts adds a very important layer to have in your argument, without which many people won’t take it seriously. Another thing that you could do to make your post stronger is using more formal words, trying replacing words like “a lot, and really” with more formal synonyms. One last thing that I think you could do is to expand your argument more, mention a counterargument, and add more length to your argument the intro should not be double the length of the argument.
I’m interested in what you think of these suggestions,
-Bailey
Hallo Penelope,
I understand your argument about how large amount of plastics not being recycled ca hurt the earth and animals/wildlife. over all it is a unrealistic goal to get rid of the use of bottles all together
Hi Penelope,
It’s crazy to think that water bottles can cause so much harm to the environment. I never thought about how just one person could help the environment. I liked your point, but maybe you could provide a little more information on the options if we ban plastic bottles?
Your argument comes mostly from a compassionate state of mind, its good to help animals and not to pollute. However, bottled water is a much more valuable commodity then you are making it out to be. In poorer countries like Africa or Asia bottled water plays a pivotal role in helping people gain the water they need to survive. Plastic also is a somewhat strong material, which is bad when trying to biodegrade but good when moving across distances. I think that the littering of plastic bottles, of course, is bad and needs to stop, however, there are other ways of going about that. For example, here in Michigan, we have a very low litter rate for soda cans because we back each can with a 10 cent return. It would be better to do this and recycle the bottles returned rather than ban them outright. This could also provide help for those suffering from poverty, which would give them a reason to pick them up as well.
Dear Penelope,
Plastic bottles have been a debatable issue, and I agree that people, by using plastic bottles, aren’t helping save the environment. I see why you are against it, but do you think that it’s something in America that can change over time or something will remain an issue? San Francisco is a great example of change, but changes for plastic bottles is going on all across America. Have you heard of Starbucks new plan in 2020? Starbucks is one of the leading cafes in America and is pretty close to plastic water bottle issue. However according to news.starbucks.com, “’Starbucks goal to eliminate plastic straws by 2020 from their stores globally represents the company’s forward thinking in tackling the material waste challenge in totality.”’ Yes, it might not be much to change our environment, but it’s taking baby steps to reduce this issue. It’s something to think about. But ultimately, your article is a great way to talk about an issue you care about!
Sincerely,
Kristen
I agree with you on the fact that we need to take better care of our Earth. Reducing/eliminating the use of plastic water bottles and straws is a great idea and hopefully the idea spreads to other cities beyond San Francisco. The only thing I think about being are the people who are going to oppose this change, how can we get them to see that this would be a step in the right direction for the environment?
Hey Penelope,
I agree with you that plastic bottles should be banned. I think you should add a little more about how it is harmful to our environment and how we should ban plastic water bottles. Also replacements we can use instead of plastic. What replacements of plastic water bottle do you think would be save our environment?
I agree with your point. I never really thought about plastic bottle use that much until I read this. Now I realize how much it really is affecting our environment and the world in general. I know that this will be on my mind now and I will probably research some more about it because of this post. We have to take a stand now and save our world while we still can.
I think you provide a really important argument. We as humans tend to ignore issues like these and I can ultimately lead to even bigger problems in the future.
I think you have a really good valid point that plastic bottles are an issue around the world; not only is it harmful to animals and the environment. But we also have to think about how the production of these bottles are also harmful to the environment. The only solution is either to use reusable bottles, or find a new alternative to plastic. But San Francisco is thinking right. The first step is to ban the bottles as a whole and recycle all the bottles in a way where it doesn’t damage an ecosystem.