The Oxford dictionary defines a fad as an “intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one … without basis in the object’s qualities.” A perfect description, it turns out, for what is currently happening in the environmental community.
Cities, counties and states are considering or adopting various policies in the name of protecting the environment. The cities of Missoula and Bozeman, for example, were considering a plastic bag ban, but recently discovered they didn’t have enough signatures for a citizen petition.
Washington state has moved to ban just about everything on the ecofad list, including plastic straws, bags, food containers and more. The wilting, paper straws are becoming a fixture at restaurant tables around the Evergreen state.
It would be one thing if these policies had a true environmental impact. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to show the laws are helping – and even more evidence they could be doing more harm than good.
Researchers at the University of Antwerp in Belgium have discovered paper straws may be toxic. Why? They contain the most perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances, or PFAS. They are substances considered harmful to humans, animals, and the environment.
The team of scientists looked at 39 different brands of straws, including plastic, paper, glass, stainless steel and bamboo. Incredibly, 27 of the 39 tested straw brands had PFASs. But when researchers specifically studied paper straws, they discovered higher chemicals in 90% of them (18/20).
Perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances can lead to major health problems including liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility complications and even cancer.
The banning of plastic straws has also disproportionally impacted the disabled community. “Our needs matter,” the Center for Disability Rights proclaims on its website, pointing out that plastic straws are “a tool disabled people rely on, rather than a frivolous, planet-killing item that can be easily done away with.”
Much of the research also points to the ineffectiveness and negative impact of plastic bag bans.
The school of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia released a study that shows California communities with plastic bag bans saw sales of 4-gallon trash bags increase by 55% to 75%, and sales of 8-gallon trash bags increase 87% to 110%. These results echo earlier studies that also showed increases in sales of smaller plastic trash bags.
The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency released a report in 2011 that highlighted the carbon impact of paper, reusable plastic, and cotton bags is higher than single-use plastic bags. In fact, scientists said you’d need to reuse a cotton bag more than 130 times to have an impact on the environment. Danish researchers had similar findings.
A trio of examples on health, effectiveness and the reaction of the consumer.
Adopting an ecofad may make policymakers feel good, but the research shows they are incredibly ineffective. Even worse, they can be dangerous to public health.
