Plastic bags at food stores have become ubiquitous. Often recycling advocates point to plastic bags as the prototype of wastage and pollution, as stuff that clogs up our landfills. In retaliation, plastic bag manufacturers have begun a public relations campaign to promote their product. On one of the flyers (printed on paper) they say:

“The plastic bag does not emit toxic fumes when properly incinerated. When burned in waste-to-energy plants, the resulting by-products from combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor, the very same by-products that you and I produce when we breathe. The bag is inert in landfills where it does not contribute to leaching to bacterial or explosive gas problems. The bag photodegrades in sunlight to the point that normal environmental factors of wind and rain will cause it to break into tiny pieces, thereby addressing the unsightly litter problem.”

Critique the statements. Does all of the information true? Support your answer. If not, what part is not? Is anything misleading? Do you agree with their evaluation? Justify your answer.