Read the following passage and answer the questions in your own words.
The effects of plastic bags on the environment are really quite devastating. While there
are many objections to the banning of plastic bags based solely on their convenience, the
damage to the environment needs to be assessed too. There is no way to strictly limit the
effects of plastic bags on the environment because there is no disposal method that will
help to eliminate the problem. While reusing them is the first step, most people don’t do
that. These bags are not durable enough to survive numerous trips to the store. The
best a citizen can do is to reuse them. The biggest problem with this is that once they
have been soiled they end up in the trash, which then ends up in the landfill or is
burned. Either of these solutions is not good for the environment. Burning emits toxic
gases that harm the atmosphere and increase the level of VOCs in the air while landfillshold them indefinitely as a part of the plastic waste problem throughout the globe.
One of the greatest problems is that an estimated 300 million plastic bags end up in the
Atlantic Ocean alone. These bags are very dangerous for the sea life, especially for those
of the mammal variety. Any hunting mammal can easily mistake the size, shape and
texture of the plastic bag for a meal and find its airway cut off. Needless deaths from
plastic bags are increasing every year. The environmental balance of the waterways is
being thrown off by the rate of plastic bags finding their way into the mouths and
intestinal tracts of sea mammals. As one species begins to die off at an abnormal rate,
every other living organism in the waterways is also impacted. The indefinite period of
time that it takes for the average plastic bag to break down can be literary hundreds of
years. Every bag that ends up in the woodlands of the country threatens the natural
progression of wildlife. Because the breakdown rate is so slow the chances that the bag
will harmlessly go away are extremely slim. Throughout the world plastic bags are
responsible for the suffocation deaths of woodland animals as well as for inhibiting soil
nutrients. The land litter that is made up of plastic bags has the potential to kill over and
over again. It has been estimated that one bag has the potential to unintentionally kill
one animal every three months due to unintentional digestion or inhalation.
While it’s a noble thought to place the plastic bags in the recycling bin every week,
studies have proven that there are very few recycling plants that actually recycle
them. Most municipalities either burn them or send them off to the landfill after
sorting. This is because it can be expensive to recycle this type of plastic. It doesn’t melt
down easily and is often not fit to be reused in its original form. The premise of recycling
these bags is nice. Yet funding for the upgrading of the recycling units just has not
happened and thus less than 1% of all bags are sent to recycling plants worldwide. Most
are left to become a pollution problem in one way or another. There are always
alternatives to plastic bags and the search for better and more alternatives
continues. Paper bags are a possible option, but they also take their toll on the
environment. The use of trees to increase the production of paper products will also
have a negative environmental effect. Reusable plastic bags are being introduced to
regions that want to outlaw the plastic bags altogether. These are stronger and more
durable and can be used for three to five trips to the store. Of course, the reusable cloth
bag is fast becoming a favourite among the environmental supporters. While so far no
bag is without its issues, these are the bags that are currently recommended for use to
help protect environmental concerns.
1. Why there is no way to strictly limit the effects of plastic bags on the
environment?
2. How are plastic bags dangerous for the sea life?
3. Why it is difficult to recycle plastic bags?
4. What are the alternatives to plastic bags?
5. Give a suitable title to the passage.
2. Use the following words in sentences of your own:
1.Melange
2.Whooping
3.Elevation
4.legendary
5.Multicultural