Every minute over 1 000 000 plastic bags are used. On a smaller scale, according to SPREP.org, you could drive a car 71 000 miles for the same amount of gasoline it takes to manufacture a million plastic bags.
Here are 7 reasons why you should not use plastic bags:
1. Save money
Many stores in Estonia now charge customers for plastic bags. While 15-35 cents per bag may not feel like a lot to spend, consider how quickly that adds up for a consumer who uses five or ten bags with each trip to the store. Not to mention, the average Estonian family uses nearly 1,500 plastic shopping bags each year. You could save 525 euros per year on grocery bags.
2. Conserve resources
Though they seem small and light, plastic bags have a much larger environmental footprint than you may imagine, beginning with the energy required to make them. Twelve million barrels of oil are used to manufacture the plastic bags consumed in the United States each year.
3. Decrease pollution
Plastic products such as plastic bags can take between 15 and 1,000 years to break down. Of the 100 billion plastic shopping bags Americans use each year, only about 1 percent are recycled, so a lot of plastic bag pollution is generated annually.
4. Avoid recycling problems
Even where good intentions lead someone to recycle their plastic grocery bags, a lot of recycling equipment can’t handle the task according to BusinessInsider. Bags get snagged on conveyors belts and wheels, clogging the machinery. The best option for recycling these bags is to take them to a specific drop-off center for plastic bags.
5. Protect wildlife
More than 100,000 marine animal deaths are caused each year when marine animals mistake plastic shopping bags in the ocean for food, according to SPREP.org. Plastic bags also get snagged in trees, and small animals can become trapped in them, leaving to even more wildlife deaths in the environment.
6. Enjoy strength and durability
Reusable bags are easier to use for both loading and unloading groceries, and your purchases are more likely to survive the trip to and from the store. Leaks are less likely to be a problem with reusable bags, and it’s easier to control where reusable bags have been and what germs they may carry.
7. Repurpose for other uses
Reusable bags can be used for a lot more than carrying groceries. A nice reusable bag can be used for many of the things you’d use a tote bag for. You can pack your lunch in them, use them to carry snacks on a road trip, take books to and from the library or go to the gym with it.
Generations of people over thousands of years got along just fine using their own bags to carry their purchases home — and you can, too! When it comes to plastic bags vs. reusable bags, the choice is obvious.
