禁用一次性塑膠
Single-use plastics are goods that are designed to be discarded after just being used one time.
一次性塑膠是指設計為僅使用一次後就丟棄的產品。
discard(v.)丟棄、拋棄
The most common examples are cigarette butts, shopping bags, drinking straws, cups, bottles and flatware.
最常見的例子包括煙蒂、購物袋、飲料吸管、杯子、瓶子和餐具。
common(adj.)常見的cigarette butts煙蒂、煙頭(drinking) straws吸管the last straw(壓垮駱駝的)最後一根稻草;使人最終崩潰的一擊bottled water瓶裝水
While these items can be cheap to produce, they have been taking a huge toll on the environment because only around 9% of plastics are actually recycled.
雖然這些產品的生產成本低廉，但卻對環境造成了巨大損害，因為實際上只有約9%的塑膠被回收。
while(conj.)雖然take a toll on造成損失、傷害toll(n.)過路費、傷亡人數actually(adv.)實際上地
The rest becomes waste, much of which ends up in landfills or in the natural environment, especially the world’s oceans, as litter.
其餘的則成為廢棄物，其中大部分最終都被掩埋，或以垃圾的形式進入自然環境中，特別是世界上的海洋。
waste(n.)廢棄物、浪費a waste of time浪費時間end up最後、到頭來=wind uplandfill(n.)垃圾掩埋場
Because many of these single-use plastics contain harmful chemicals and break up into smaller pieces, rather than break down completely, there have been widespread aggressive efforts to eliminate their use.
由於許多一次性塑膠含有有害化學物質，且不會完全分解，而是會分裂成更小的碎片，因此各地積極地推動淘汰一次性塑膠。
break up分裂、破碎break down分解widespread(adj.)廣泛的aggressive(adj.)積極的eliminate(v.)除去、剔除、淘汰
In addition, manufacturers have moved to use alternatives to fossil fuel-based chemicals, called petrochemicals, which are primarily used to produce a variety of single-use plastic items.
此外，製造商已開始改用替代品，以取代用於生產各種一次性塑膠產品的化石燃料化學品，即石油化工產品。
manufacturer(n.)製造商manufacture(v.)製造、(大量)生產alternative(n.)替代選擇、替代物primarily(adv.)主要地a (wide) variety of各式各樣的=various kinds of
Many global initiatives to reduce the reliance on single-use plastics have come in the past several decades.
過去幾十年來，全球提出了許多減少對一次性塑膠依賴的倡議。
initiative(n.)倡議、新方案、主動權take the initiative to VR主動做某事reliance(n.)仰賴、依賴=dependence
Beginning with Bangladesh, which banned the use of plastic shopping bags in 2002, governments all over the world from the EU to Taiwan have been passing laws and implementing policies that prohibit the use of single-use plastic items.
從2002年孟加拉禁用塑膠購物袋開始，從歐盟到台灣、世界各地的政府都透過法規和實行禁用一次性塑膠產品的政策。
ban(v.)禁止=prohibitimplement(v.)實施、執行、實行
These efforts aim “to not only prevent pollution but also drive innovation in environmentally-conscious materials and recycling.”
這些努力的目的是「不僅要防止污染，還要推動環保的材料和回收方面的創新」。
aim to旨在～;以～為目標=be aimed atdrive(v.)帶動innovation(n.)創新的conscious(adj.)有意識的health-conscious(adj.)有健康意識的environmentally-conscious(adj.)有環保意識的;環保的
As a response to these bans, manufacturers have begun adopting more eco-friendly alternatives to petrochemicals.
為了因應這些禁令，製造商已開始採用更環保的替代品，以取代石化產品。
adopt(v.)採用;採納adopt a different approach to sth.對某事採取不同的作法eco-friendly(adj.)環保的
These include switching to biodegradable plastics and compostable materials, which can break down naturally.
其中包括改用能自然分解的生物可降解塑膠和可堆肥材料。
switch to轉向;改用biodegradable(adj.)生物可降解的degrade(v.)降級compost(n.)堆肥compostable(adj.)可堆肥的
Although there is still a long way to go to fully end the use of single-use plastics, these moves by governments and manufacturers “mark a critical step towards a more sustainable future.”
雖然要完全停止一次性塑膠的使用仍有很長的路要走，但政府和製造商的這些舉措「標誌著向更永續的未來邁出了關鍵的一步」。
there is still a long way to go還有很長的路要走have come a long way有長足的進步critical(adj.)關鍵的=crucialsustain(v.)維持sustainable(adj.)永續的sustainability(n.)永續性