Plastic Shopping Bags Should Be Banned Because They Pollute Land And Sea | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample

Plastic shopping bags contribute to the pollution of land and sea. Some people think they should be banned. Do you agree or disagree?

Here is a band 8 IELTS essay on this topic submitted by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample

Plastic bag usage is increasing at an alarming rate, and it is one of the main causes of land and sea pollution as people often dispose of them after one time use. I totally agree with the opinion that governments should gradually prohibit them from being used for shopping purposes.

Firstly, plastic bags have a detrimental effect on the environment because they are non-biodegradable. This means that it may take hundreds of years for a plastic carrier to decompose into pieces. Therefore, when the bags are buried into the soil or thrown into the ocean and wild animals eat them, plastic will enter the food chain, causing major issues and even death when ingested. For example, a hungry turtle may mistake a transparent plastic bag for a jellyfish and eat it. If that happens repeatedly, it is likely that the turtle will choke on the plastic it cannot digest and die painfully.

Besides, plastic bags consist of many toxic chemicals which will negatively impact the surroundings when they are burnt. These harmful by-products will be released into the air, resulting in the gradual development of deadly diseases like cancer when people inhale them too frequently. The chemicals may also affect the fertility of the soil. This is because the roots of these plants may not be able to penetrate through plastic particles to get nutrients from the soil. As a result, the growth of crops will slow down, leading to reduction in yield.

In conclusion, I am in favour of the contention that there should be regulations to ban the use of plastic because of the detrimental impacts it has on our environment.

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Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

4 Responses

  1. Sarbjeet Singh says:

    Plastic bags play a vital role in polluting the environment. some believe that the government must be put a ban on the manufacturing of plastic bags because these effect the human’s health and adversely impact marine life. I agree with this statement.

    Since plastic bags are dumped in the landfill, plastic molecules mix in the air and land. The population is directly consuming the plastic particles through air. These plastic molecules are silent killers for the human body and deteriorate the human’s health in such a way that leads to diseases like food poisoning. For example, in 2004, a lot of farmers got sick in Mumbai, India because they used to grow vegetables in the area which was used to dump the plastic wastes. Hence, a ban on plastic is the only solution to save humans from such health problems.

    Moreover, the marine species swallow plastic bags with their foods. As plastic is indigestible, these often block the food pipe of animals like sharks and whales and they ended up with death. A report by the World Health Organisation has revealed that every year 10 million fishes die due to the consumption of polythene. In addition to this, if there will be no stop on the use of plastic bags, it could lead to the extinction of rare water species that would make the situation worse.

    In conclusion, in my opinion, banning plastic bags is the only solution to mitigate human’s health problems and to save marine life. If it will not be banned than the society has to pay heavily.

    • ielts practice says:

      This seems band 6.5 to me. Grammar continues to be an issue. Content also needs some improvement. Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose. Then, how can plastic molecules mix in the air?

  2. Shirina Samreen says:

    One of the major contributors to the ever-increasing pollution on earth and water bodies is the plastic bag used for shopping. It is opined by some people that banning this item could help in solving the problem. I believe that the prohibition of plastic bags definitely facilitates in reducing the pollution.

    Few people are against the idea of banning the plastic shopping bags. Many reasons can be attributed to this objection. Firstly, the practice of using plastic bags has been prevalent since many years. So, people feel difficult to adapt to some new alternatives. Secondly, the bags made from plastic material are lightweight, easy to carry and durable adding to the convenience. Lastly, the plastic bags are cheaper making them affordable by everyone. However, I feel that people should stop using them owing to the environmental damage caused by their use.

    Another line of thinking is in favor of banning the plastic shopping bags. Research has proven that plastic bags were the reason behind the deaths of many land and aquatic animals. For example, the marine life is affected by throwing plastic bags along with garbage into the sea. Additionally, plastic is not bio-degradable and its disposal has numerous repercussions on the environment. Hence, the conservation of nature requires control upon the usage of plastic and people have to accept it in the interest of saving the earth.

    In conclusion, I think that plastic bags used for shopping are very dangerous to the environment having devastating effects upon the nature. Therefore, people should cooperate voluntarily in reducing the pollution by stopping the use of plastic bags.

    • ielts practice says:

      This is an agree or disagree essay and you are in favour of banning plastic. So, the whole of your essay should explain why plastic should be banned. Do not write about the reasons to allow the use of plastic. In agree/disagree essays discuss only the side you support.
      This seems band 6.5 to me.

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