By Elizabeth Marroquin
There are at least one million plastic bags produced every day worldwide. Plastic is a material that is used in many products because of its low cost, durability and ease of manufacture; however what is not taken in account is its long term effect on Earth. For example, an affected area has been Panajachel, Solola, the home of Lake Atitlan. This town has been affected by the use of plastic bags for quite some time, due to its low cost, and the increase of fast food chains and supermarkets.
Panajachel has increased its use of plastic bags because of how inexpensive it is. In the market plastic bags are used frequently as the seller makes a profit from them. You are able to buy a hundred bags for less than ten quetzales, that is to say each bag costs less than or equal to one cent. The consequence of having a low cost product, is that more people will buy it.
Recently, there has been fast food restaurants establishing in town. The main place is called Pollo Express, a fried chicken restaurant, that in a recent survey have said to use about a hundred plastic bags per day, it is also important to say that the bags come free with the food. There is also a big supermarket, from the Wallmart chain, called Despensa Familiar that sells plastic bags for twenty five cents. The consumer has the option to buy the bags, but through an observation at least one bag is bought per buyer.
The consequences of the increase of plastic bags in town has been the amount of pollution it has created. In the rainy season drains have clogged because of the plastic trash, making the streets into rivers. Last but not least, the main attraction of the town is Lake Atitlan, but unfortunately during big events people leave their trash, mostly plastic, around the lake shore. This has made the fish die and cyanobacteria to reappear. There have been organizations that have helped clean the town and lake, but is no use if the whole town isn´t part of it.
The reason plastic bags are cheaper than paper bags is that they use up less oil and energy to produce a big amount of it. That is why companies produce a ton a day; the cheaper it is for the consumer, the more profit it will be for the producer. Plastic bags are more efficient than paper bags because of its durability and low cost, but just have in mind these facts when you come across the option of buying it. Plastic bags are made from nonrenewable resources, and it take about five hundred years to break down plastic, but will never disappear completely. So, to help reduce the amount of plastic bags in town please consider taking a backpack or a cloth bag next time you are in the Despensa Familiar, market, or any other store, and also to share this advice with others.
