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Should Plastic Bags Be Banned? 

April 17, 2017

The city of Newport, Rhode Island, is the latest place in the United States to ban stores from giving out single-use plastic shopping bags. Dozens of other U.S. cities have also banned the bags, as has the state of California. Supporters of these bans say that plastic bags are bad for the environment. But many opponents argue that banning bags is unnecessary. One reason is that they can be reused.

Here's what two of our readers think.

Nola Straub,

New York

Unlike fruits and vegetables, plastic bags don’t rot away quickly. It can take many years for them to break down in garbage dumps. Grocery stores should give out cloth bags instead. People can reuse cloth bags. Fewer plastic bags means less garbage on Earth.

Brayden Niemi,

Texas

Plastic shopping bags are useful. When they get wet, they don’t break apart like paper bags do. You can reuse them for packing a lunch or cleaning up after your dog. There are even people who weave them into blankets for the homeless. Some plastic bags can also be recycled. 

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Debate photos courtesy of families.

Part of the Text Set:

Protecting the Environment

Text-to-Speech