Which bag should you use? - Luka Seamus Wright and Imogen Ellen Napper

Recezent: Ivan Luka Sabolović

You’ve filled up your cart and made it to the front of the grocery line

Napunili ste košaricu i stigli do blagajne.

when you’re confronted with yet another choice:

Čeka vas još jedan izbor:

what kind of bag should you use?

koju vrećicu uzeti?

If you’ve seen the images of plastic bags strewn across the ocean,

Ako ste vidjeli slike plastičnih vrećica razbacanih po oceanu,

it might seem obvious that plastic is bad for the environment.

možda se čini očitim kako je plastika loša po okoliš.

Surely a paper bag or a cotton tote would be the better option.

Sigurno bi papirnata ili pamučna vrećica bila bolja opcija.

But is that really true?

No je li tome zaista tako?

Each of these three materials has a unique environmental impact

Svaki od tri materijala ima jedinstven utjecaj na okoliš

that’s determined by its carbon footprint,

koji je određen njegovim ugljičnim otiskom,

its potential to be reused and recycled, and its degradability.

mogućnosti ponovnog korištenja, reciklaže i razgradivosti.

So, to get the full story on these grocery bags

Da bismo znali koju vrećicu odabrati,

we need to look at how they’re made,

trebamo otkriti kako se proizvode,

how they’re used, and where they ultimately go.

kako se koriste i kamo odlaze.

Let’s start with plastic.

Počnimo od plastičnih vrećica.

The typical thin and flimsy plastic bag is made of high-density polyethylene,

Tanka plastična vrećica proizvodi se od polietilena visoke gustoće,

commonly known as HDPE.

pod kraticom HDPE.

Producing this material requires extracting petroleum from the ground

Za njegovu proizvodnju potrebno je iz zemlje izvaditi naftu

and applying extreme heat.

i primijeniti vrlo visoku temperaturu.

The resulting polymer resin is then transported

Tako nastaje polimerna smola koja se tada prevozi,

alongside additional ingredients like titanium oxide and chalk

kao i dodatne tvari poput titanijeva oksida i krede,

to a bag manufacturing plant.

u tvornicu gdje se proizvode vrećice.

Here, coal powered machines melt the materials down

Tamo strojevi na ugljen rastapaju materijale

and spin them into sheets of plastic,

i vrte ih u plastične listove,

which are then folded into bags.

koji se presavijaju u vrećice.

By the time a bag reaches its final destination,

Na kraju proizvodnje vrećice,

it’s contributed an estimated 1.6 kg of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

oko 1.6 kg ugljikovog dioksida otpušteno je u atmosferu.

Toliko ugljikovog dioksida otpusti automobil

That’s the same amount of carbon a car produces,

driving a little over 6 kilometers.

dok prijeđe preko 6 kilometara.

But the alternatives actually possess a much larger carbon footprint.

No proizvodnja drugih vrećica ostavlja veći ugljični otisak.

Paper is made from wood pulp,

Papir se radi od drvne celuloze.

and when you account for the carbon cost of removing trees from their ecosystems,

Kada uračunate ugljični otisak nastao uklanjanjem drveća iz njihovih ekosustava,

a single paper bag can be responsible for about 5.5 kg of carbon dioxide.

proizvodnja papirnate vrećice može otpustiti 5.5 kg ugljikovog dioksida.

Meanwhile, growing cotton is an extremely energy and water intensive process.

Istovremeno, uzgoj pamuka zahtijeva mnogo energije i vode.

The production of a single cotton tote

Proizvodnja jedne pamučne vrećice

emits an estimated 272 kg of carbon dioxide.

otpušta oko 272 kg ugljikovog dioksida.

When we compare carbon footprints, plastic bags are the clear winner.

Kada usporedimo ugljične otiske, plastične vrećice pobjeđuju.

But environmental impact is also determined by how the bag is used.

No na utjecaj na okoliš utječe i to kako se vrećica koristi.

Reusing or recycling these bags

Ponovno korištenje ili reciklaža vrećica

significantly offsets their environmental toll

značajno neutralizira njihov ugljični otisak

by reducing demand for new production.

smanjenjem potrebe za novom proizvodnjom.

To quantify that offset, we can divide the bag’s carbon footprint

Kvantitativan rezultat možemo dobiti dijeljenjem ugljičnog otiska vrećice

by the number of times it’s reused.

s brojem korištenja vrećice.

For example, if a typical paper bag is reused three times,

Primjerice, ako papirnatu vrećicu koristite tri puta,

it has a lower net impact than a single-use plastic bag.

ima manji utjecaj na okoliš nego plastična vrećica koju ste jednom upotrijebili.

The carbon footprint of a cotton tote can similarly be lowered,

Ugljični otisak pamučne vrećice može se smanjiti

if it’s reused 131 times.

ako se koristi 131 put.

Of these three options, durable cloth totes are most likely to be reused.

Od te tri opcije, najviše se ponovno upotrebljavaju izdržljive platnene vreće.

Evidence shows paper bags are quickly discarded due to their tendency to tear.

Papirnate se vrećice brzo odbacuju jer se lako poderu.

This issue plagues HDPE plastic bags as well.

To je problem i s plastičnim vrećicama od HDPE-a.

But even when they’re made to avoid tearing,

Kada su i proizvedene da se ne poderu lako,

their widespread availability makes it easy to treat them as single-use items.

zbog široke dostupnosti, koriste se jednokratno.

Fortunately, researchers estimate that 40% of HDPE bags

Srećom, znanstvenici procjenjuju da se 40% plastičnih vrećica

are reused at least once for throwing out waste.

ponovno koristi barem jednom kada se baca smeće.

Recycling these bags also offsets their carbon footprint,

Reciklaža vrećica neutralizira njihov ugljični otisak,

but it’s not universally possible for each material.

ali to nije uvijek moguće za sve materijale.

Many countries lack the infrastructure to efficiently recycle plastic bags.

Mnogim zemljama nedostaje infrastruktura za uspješnu reciklažu plastičnih vrećica.

Cotton totes are perhaps even more difficult to breakdown and process,

Pamučne vrećice je vjerojatno još teže razgraditi i preraditi,

but since they’re often reused for long periods,

ali s obzirom na to da se često ponovno koriste,

they’re still least likely to end up in landfills.

najmanja je vjerojatnost da će završiti na odlagalištu otpada.

Whenever these bags aren’t recycled,

Kada se vrećice ne recikliraju,

the third factor in calculating environmental impact comes into play:

gleda se i treći čimbenik utjecaja na okoliš: razgradivost.

degradability.

Since HDPE bags are heat-resistant and insoluble,

Plastične vrećice otporne su na toplinu i netopive su

they stick around long after we’re done with them.

pa u okolišu ostaju dugo vremena nakon što ih se odbaci.

Partially broken down plastic can circulate in ecosystems for centuries.

Djelomično raspadnuta plastika može stoljećima kružiti ekosustavima.

Cotton on the other hand degrades substantially in a matter of months,

S druge strane, pamuk se velikim dijelom razgradi u nekoliko mjeseci,

and paper bags break down completely in just 90 days.

a papirnate vrećice potpuno se razgrade u samo 90 dana.

So, which bag should you use?

Koju biste onda vrećicu trebali koristiti?

It turns out the most environmentally friendly bags

Izgleda da vrećica koja je najbolja za okoliš

have features of several materials we've discussed.

ima svojstva nekoliko materijala koja smo prošli.

They’re durable and reusable, like cotton, but made of plastic,

Takva je vrećica izdržljiva i višekratna poput pamučne, ali je od plastike,

which has a lower carbon footprint than cotton or paper.

koja ima manji ugljični otisak od pamuka ili papira.

These sturdy shopping bags consist of polyester, vinyl and other tough plastics,

Ta je čvrsta vrećica od poliestera, vinila i drugih čvrstih plastičnih materijala

and are already used worldwide.

te se već koristi diljem svijeta.

Most importantly, they should last a lifetime—

Što je najvažnije, trebala bi trajati jedan životni vijek,

making them the best option for the planet, and your groceries.

što je čini najboljom mogućnošću i za planet i za vaše namirnice.