IELTS Preparation:reasons and suggestions on "white pollution" Topic: It is often said that we are living in a world full of plastic bags and rubbish. Discuss the reasons for this and suggest how the situation might be improved or resolved. Nowadays, there have been an increasingly amount of plastic bags and rubbish. This raises questions about why this problem has occurred and how it could be resolved. In this essay, I would like to investigate the reasons as well as raise some possible solutions. The main reasons behind this situation are related to consumerism and the quality of plastic containers. To begin with, businesses today are more concerned with consumers’ feelings than ever before. This means they try to please and win consumers against their competitors by providing consumers with convenience. Consequently, most restaurants and shops offer free plastic containers and bags for customers to pack spare food or clothes up. Moreover, plastic containers and bags are light in weight, long-lasting in quality and cheap in price compared to stuff made of paper or other materials. As a result, plastic containers and bags are welcomed by consumers. Hence, these two factors lead to the massive use of plastic stuff. To solve this problem, there are several methods worth trying. Firstly, mass media should take the responsibility to popularize the hazards of using plastic bags and containers and raise public’s awareness of protecting the environment. Broadcasting charity advertisements is a good case in point. Secondly, the government could carryout a tax policy on using plastic containers and bags. This means consumers who choose to use plastic packages have to pay an extra tax. As a result, customers, more often than not, will choose environmental-friendly packages or reuse plastic ones. This method applies the mechanism of supply and demand and will, doubtless, result in the reduction of plastic bags and containers production and usage. To conclude, it is advisable to raise people’s awareness in preserving the environment as well as to levy an extra tax on plastic bags and rubbish according to the causes of this “white pollution” phenomenon.