Plastic ban: Ine ective plan

processing trees, a process that uses a lot of water, toxic chemicals, fuel and heavy machinery.

Hiba Samdani Co-Editor-in-Chief

Nothing pains me more than forgetting my reusable shopping bag at Wegmans.

As someone who makes quick runs to pick up convenience items, the absence of plastic bags is not conducive to this type of shopping. On Sept. 22, Wegmans banned the use of plastic bags, replacing them with reusable or 5 cent paper bags instead. In the Tredy rin and Easttown Townships, plastic bag bans are coming in the near future, e ectively banning them in Easttown in January and in Tredy rin in March. While these environmentally conscious initiatives are a step in the right direction, they do not bear the effect they were intended to have.

Banning plastic bags has le two main alternatives — paper and tote bags — which come with their own drawbacks. Creating paper bags requires cutting and

According to NPR, because of the increased destruction of trees, using paper as a substitute for plastic increases greenhouse gas emissions. While the bans reduce nonbiodegradable litter, the Washington Post reported that paper bag manufacturing creates 70 times more air pollution and ve times more water pollution than plastic bags. Even cotton tote bags are not as e ective as some may think. A study done found in trash bags, the sales of which have increased to supplant the original grocery store bags. once time, no cheat code that activates with the writing of a check. e system holds o enders accountable regardless of the size of their purse, an ideal that the school extracurricular service system should follow too.

Under extreme circumstances, there are exemptions to be made.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, paid volunteering thrived, justly so.

As traditional volunteering activities shut down amidst quarantine regulations and social distancing guidelines, service-minded individuals turned to other methods for demonstrating their passion for community. Yet the proliferation of paid hours remained constant as life returned to normalcy, a continuity that warrants serious examination.

Admittedly, there are select advantages to paid service hours. Students who work jobs have little time for volunteering, and donations are an admirable alternative.

Yet, in too many cases, it is overzealous parents who end up paying, bent on helping their kids accumulate service hours for gaming college admissions (though colleges equally value part-time jobs in the admissions process). On a grander scale, monetary donations are a form of philanthropy. Regardless of donors’ intentions, their donations carry a positive impact that helps real people. A er all, money is money, no matter where it comes from. Yet again, in too many cases, the ends cannot justify the means. ere are plentiful opportunities for outside donations to charity, but they have no place in school volunteering clubs that are founded on the basis of hours-based service.

Service organizations must reduce pay-to-play volunteering. ere are other ways to serve your community ones that don’t involve buying your way in with parent’s money.