众所周知，塑料袋危害环境。乱丢塑料袋破坏自然景观，还对野生生物构成威胁。

 

　　Discarded plastic bags accumulate as “plastic soup” in the Pacific Ocean, covering more than 15,000,000 square kilometers, according to the BBC.

 

　　据英国广播公司BBC报道称，堆积在太平洋海域的废弃塑料袋形成了“塑料汤”，覆盖面积达1500万平方公里。

 

　　Should we ban plastic bags altogether? In a survey recently conducted by the European Commission, most people favored an outright ban on plastic bags, the BBC reported. But are other options more eco-friendly?

 

　　我们是否应该彻底取缔塑料袋？ BBC报道称，欧盟委员会最新的一项调查显示，大多数人赞成完全禁止塑料袋。但塑料袋的其他替代品会更环保吗？

 

　　According to the Commission, every year 800,000 tons of so-called single-use plastic bags are used in the European Union.

 

　　据欧委会统计，每年欧盟国家要使用80万吨所谓的一次性塑料袋。

 

　　The average EU citizen used 191 of them in 2010, the Commission says, and only 6 percent were recycled. More than 4 billion bags are thrown away each year.

 

　　2010年欧盟居民平均每人使用191个塑料袋，其中仅有6%的塑料袋是可回收利用的。每年被丢弃的塑料袋数量超过40亿个。

 

　　If shoppers stop using plastic bags, they must start using other kinds of bags, but there is no perfect solution.

 

　　如果人们购物不再使用塑料袋，就要开始使用其他袋子，但是目前还未找到完美的解决方案。

 

　　Stronger, heavier bags, whether made of fabric or paper, may have a bigger environmental impact than standard plastic bags.

 

　　更重更结实的袋子，不管是布做的还是纸做的，对于环境的影响可能比标准塑料袋更甚。

 

　　Whatever type of bag is used, the key to reducing the impact is to reuse it as many times as possible.

 

　　无论使用何种材质的袋子，尽量循环使用才是减小对环境影响的诀窍。

 

　　Another way to reduce the impact is to use plastic bags that are biodegradable.

 

　　另一个环保的做法是使用可生物降解的塑料袋。

 

　　These bags will biodegrade in the natural environment, but they come in different types. Those made of corn will biodegrade in a landfill environment, but while doing so they produce methane, a powerful global warming gas.

 

　　尽管这些袋子可以在自然环境下降解，但也有不同类型之分。由谷物制成的塑料袋虽然可以在废弃物处理厂降解，但降解过程中会产生甲烷，而甲烷会加剧全球变暖。

 

　　Another type of bag is oxo-biodegradable, which will biodegrade if exposed to air or water, but not in landfill and the cost to make them is much higher.

 

　　还有一种含氧生物降解塑料袋，与空气和水接触便会进行生物降解。但该反应无法在废弃物处理厂进行，而且生产成本也高得多。

 

　　Paper bags have been the traditional shopping bag in the US, but while these biodegrade in landfill, the UK Environment Agency study says that they have a higher carbon footprint than standard plastic carrier bags.

 

　　在美国，人们习惯使用传统的纸质购物袋。但据英国环境部调查显示，纸袋在垃圾场中降解时的碳排放量高于标准塑料袋。

 

　　It also says the available evidence suggests paper bags are not generally reused, either as bin liners–a purpose for which they are not well suited–or for other purposes.

 

　　同时，英国环境部还指出，有证据表明纸袋通常不会被循环使用，不管是作为垃圾袋（它们并不太适合作这一用途）还是用做其他用途。

 

　　Why are paper bags still popular in the US? The pressure from the powerful wood pulp industry in the country is one important reason.

 

　　为何在美国纸袋依旧广受欢迎呢？来自美国庞大的木材纸浆产业的压力也是重要原因之一。