Plastic Shopping Bags

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Plastic Shopping Bags. Why?

We sometimes joke about how it in our town; the plastic shopping bag flapping in the wind on a tree seems to be the flag of Brownwood. However, plastic shopping bags are a serious issue. An estimated 8 billion pounds of plastic bags, wraps and sacks enter the waste stream every year in the US alone. The annual cost of plastic shopping bags to US retailers alone is estimated at $4 billion, which is then passed on to the consumer.

Some people believe that recycling the plastic shopping bags is the solution to the problem but recycling rates for plastic bags are extremely low. Only 1 to 3% of plastic bags end up getting recycled. Many bags collected for recycling never get recycled. A growing trend is to ship them to Third world countries like India and China. Rather than being recycled, they are cheaply incinerated under more lax environmental laws.

If plastic shopping bags do become litter, they can have a big impact on animals. Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. Turtles think the bags are jellyfish, their primary food source. Once swallowed, plastic bags choke animals or block their intestines, leading to an agonizing death. On land, many cows, goats and other animals suffer a similar fate to marine life when they accidentally ingest plastic bags while foraging for food.

Here are four helpful ways to get those plastic shopping bags out of the environment: One, use reusable canvas or cloth bags. Reusable bags are more environmentally friendly than paper or plastic. Many grocery stores now offer reusable bags for sale to customers. Keep them in your car for the next time you have to run out for groceries. Two, say "No thank you." Not all items require a bag so tell the clerk, "No thank you." Carry small purchase items like a magazine, one piece of candy, or drink to the car instead of in a plastic bag. Three, reuse them. There are many great uses for plastic grocery bags such as trashcan liners in the home, trash receptacle in your car or truck, or for doggie waste. Get creative and find new ways to reuse those bags. Four, tell a friend. Get others to use reusable bags. They make great gifts.

Keep a couple of canvas bags in your car for the next trip to the store and when asked “paper or plastic”, you have a third and more environmentally safe alternative. Mention this article at the next in town recycling day on the first Saturday of July and you will receive a free reusable shopping bag.