Here’s a really simple way you can make a difference: next time you go shopping, take reusable bags with you instead of using those free plastic bags that the supermarkets hand out (normally in pairs). If you forget the bags, you can still avoid the plastic in many places by asking for paper bags (just remember to reuse or recycle them - I use them for my kitchen food scraps and then throw the whole thing into the composting bin).

Why?

Some interesting facts from the folks over at reusablebags.com:

• Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
• According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
• According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year—900 per person.

So, all those plastic bags end up somewhere. And that somewhere is often bad for the environment. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade. Which means that the break down into smaller and smaller bits, and those bits contaminate soil and waterways or enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.

There is a swirling vortex of plastic waste in the north Pacific estimated to be as much as twice the size of Texas already. And it is not just the oceans that are affected. Everywhere from Australia and Africa to Antarctica people are collecting increasing numbers of plastic bags blowing in the wind.

Counter

Here is a counter from reusablebags.com showing an estimate for the number of plastic bags consumed this year alone:

What Can I Do?

Take bags with you to the supermarket, or insist on paper if you forget. If you’re only getting one or two items, don’t use a bag at all (you’d be surprised how many people I see walk out of the supermarket at lunch time carrying a single sandwich in a plastic bag). If you do use a plastic bag, see if you can return it to the supermarket for recycling. At the very least, if all else fails, make sure you dispose of it properly!

Tags: bag, plastic, recycling

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