Letter to Editor: Downtown Tribune (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

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To: Downtown Tribune
Dear Editor,
An ecological disintegration is looming; we must act! We have all been habituated to the plastic bags found at the end of each checkout counter in our supermarkets or local groceries. However, as we are hastily tossing the groceries and other bought items into these bags, we do not realize the effect each bag placed on our shopping carts, has on the environment. The residents of Littlestar County use approximately 20 million plastic bags each year. This figure is alarming; taking into consideration that an insignificant percentage of plastic bags are recycled. This leaves us with the question: where do all the un-recycled plastic bags go?
Regrettably, most of the plastic bags cast-off find their way into our streams and rivers. As a result, they threaten the lives of many aquatic species. Fish, turtles, seals and other aquatic animals can be mortally harmed by the presence of plastic supplies in their habitat. The elastic plastic bags may trap aquatic species, leaving them practically immobile and unable to evade its clutches. Non-aquatic creatures are not safe either; every so often birds mistake worn-out polythene bags for food. Plastics have toxic chemicals that deliver a deadly dose of poison, which leaves birds and other creatures lifeless.
The plastic bags we find in our groceries and supermarkets serve the single purpose of transporting purchased goods from stores to our homes. After that, they usually end up in the refuse; awaiting to be transferred to the dumpsite at Northend. At the dumpsite, these bags do not decompose quickly; in fact, it takes approximately one millennium for all the plastic bags we use annually to decompose completely. Most of them photo-degrade; a process through tiny petro-polymers pollute the waterways and soil.
So what is the remedy to our infatuation to polythene bags? Aransas County in Texas has imposed a six-cent charge on every plastic bag used. In 2002, Kenya imposed taxes on plastic bags, and they have managed to reduce their total use of plastics by 80% since the new policy was implemented. Although this may not be a solution for Littlestar County, it should be part of the big debate on environmental awareness and protection efforts. However, a better remedy would be to change our ...