Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter， including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Steins jobs is defending an Industry behind the plastic shopping bag.
Steven Stein喜欢跟着垃圾车。当你认为他是一个环保科学家，专门研究如何减少垃圾，包括垃圾车沿路掉落下来的垃圾时，他的古怪习惯是有道理的。更有趣的事情是，Stein的工作之一是塑料购物袋身后的行业辩护。
Americans uses more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts（收银台）The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these
headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products
are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
美国人每年每人使用超过1000亿的薄膜塑料袋。这么多的塑料袋有的挂在树杈上，有的散落在高速公路沿线，以至于越来越多的城市的收银台不允许使用塑料袋。加州大约90个城市禁止使用塑料袋，包括洛杉矶。面对这些逆风作案，塑料袋生产商雇佣像Stein这样的科学家，来证明他们的产品不会像大多数人想象的那样对地球产生不好的影响。
Among the bag makers arguments: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
塑料袋生产商争辩道：很多城市虽然有禁令但依然允许购物者购买纸袋，这种纸袋很容易回收，但是需要更多的能源去生产和运输。虽然塑料袋外观看起来很丑，他们只占今天地上散落的垃圾的一小部分。
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable
shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it
cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study
found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
该行业也开始瞄准能够替代塑料袋的替代品：再重复使用的购物袋。再重复使用的塑料袋越耐用，他的使用寿命就越长，塑料袋的使用抵消的就越多。然而，长久耐用的可再利用的塑料袋常常需要耗费更多的能源去制造。一项研究发现，棉花制作的塑料袋至少使用131次，才能比塑料袋对地球更有益。
Environmentalists don’t dispute（质疑）these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
环保主义者不会质疑以上观点产生。他们希望有一天纸袋也会被禁止，同时希望购物者能常年使用同样的可重复使用的袋子。
P.s.
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]......when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter， including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road.时间状语从句没能翻译完整。
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]defending an Industry为行业而辩护industry行业
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts（收银台）没有看到so......that的句型。
[if !supportLists]4. [endif]Among the bag makers arguments:......arguments可以名词动词化翻译。
[if !supportLists]5. [endif]Recycled可回收的，energy能源
6. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.至少......才......
7.They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.翻译成常年很妙。
