(1) Plastic that are non-biodegradable are not broken down by decomposers when dumped in landfill sites or left as litter. This means that they remain in the environment, taking up valuable space or causing visual pollution. Moreovoveer, discarded plastic bottles can trap small animals; nylon fishing lines and nets can trap birds and mammals such as seals and dolphins. As the plastic in water gradually deteriorate, they fragment into tiny pieces, which are eaten by fish and birds, making them ill as a result. When plastic is burned, it can release toxic gases (2) Plastic bags are a big problem, taking up a lot of space in landfill sites. In 2002, the Republic of Ireland introduced a plastic bag fee, called a PlasTax, to try to control the problem. It had a dramatic effect, cutting the use of single-use bags from 1.2 billion to 230 million a year and reducing the litter problem that plastic bags create. Revenue raised from the fee is used to support environmental projects. (3) Since then, bans have spread rapidly. More than 400 laws across the United States ban or tax plastic bags, according to Jennie Romer, an attorney at the Surfrider Foundation and a leading advocate and expert on plastic bag policies. The bans actually started outside places like the United States and Ireland, with Bangladesh banning them countrywide in 2002 and Pakistan announcing recently that it, too, will ban single- use plastic bags. “Our slight change in habits will do miracles for future generations,” one politician wrote. What does Paragraph (1) say about plastic waste?
What does the writer think about the efforts to reduce plastic pollution?