Weekly trips to the grocery store often end the same way: "Will you be needing bags?" I obviously own cloth and reusable bags that I try to habitually bring with me when grocery shopping but I still somehow represent the minority. When some of my friends see me carrying this bag they say things like "tree-hugger" or make other snide remarks. About 5-6 years ago I noticed more and more places charging for plastic bags. At first I was a bit shocked but quickly came to my senses. While a nickel is obviously not a fortune it has helped to deter many shoppers from using plastic bags. Loblaws was one of the first grocery chains to start this and since 2007 they have apparently reduced the number of plastic bags from their stores by 5 billion in Canada.
Plastic bags are horrible for many reasons. Close to a billion bags end up as garbage every year. It takes each one 1,000 years to break down and are made from non-renewable natural resources. Since these bags are lightweight and durable, they can travel great distances and wreak environmental havoc in many different places. The saddest part about it is that some animals don't have the sense to understand the damage that plastic bags can cause so they eat or try to play with them. Apparently over 100,000 whales, seals, turtles, and birds die every year due to plastic bags. I have caught one of my cats trying to eat plastic bags on numerous occasions and some friends have told me that they need to hide bags in fear of their pets getting a hold of them.
Needless to say plastic bags are becoming a major nuisance around the world. Disposable plastic bottles don't help either and despite the efforts of environmentalists recycling doesn't seem to be catching on fast enough. I don't have any innovative ideas on how to solve this problem but hopefully someone does soon before it's too late. In the meantime, do your part and get reusable bags or use paper ones as much as possible!
Plastic bags are horrible for many reasons. Close to a billion bags end up as garbage every year. It takes each one 1,000 years to break down and are made from non-renewable natural resources. Since these bags are lightweight and durable, they can travel great distances and wreak environmental havoc in many different places. The saddest part about it is that some animals don't have the sense to understand the damage that plastic bags can cause so they eat or try to play with them. Apparently over 100,000 whales, seals, turtles, and birds die every year due to plastic bags. I have caught one of my cats trying to eat plastic bags on numerous occasions and some friends have told me that they need to hide bags in fear of their pets getting a hold of them.
Needless to say plastic bags are becoming a major nuisance around the world. Disposable plastic bottles don't help either and despite the efforts of environmentalists recycling doesn't seem to be catching on fast enough. I don't have any innovative ideas on how to solve this problem but hopefully someone does soon before it's too late. In the meantime, do your part and get reusable bags or use paper ones as much as possible!
To read more on the dangers of plastic bags: Fact Sheet and Loblaws campaign to reduce: Plastic Consumption. The clip below is from the 1989 film "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" and although it does not deal directly with plastic bags, you get the idea.
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