What is plastic?

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EPA

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), over 380 billion plastic bags are consumed each year in the United States alone. The average American household uses approximately 900 plastic bags per year. These bags have a high cost.

no more plastic

The Dangers:

  • Plastic bags will never biodegrade. they will pollute our land and water indefinitely.
  • Less than 3% of plastic bags are recycled. Also, the cost of recycling bags is hundreds of times higher than producing new bags.
  • Plastic bags break down into smaller toxic debris which contaminates our soil, lakes, rivers and water reservoirs.
  • Eventually the toxic debris will enter into our food chain.
  • Paper bags are recycled at a higher rate than plastic, but at the expense of our most valuable resource-TREES
  • Each year hundreds of thousands of water animals such as sea turtles and whales die from ingesting plastic bags, mistaking them for food.
  • Plastic bags are made from petroleum, further increasing our dependency on foreign oil.

A Realistic Solution:

  • In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags.
  • Also in 2002, Ireland placed a tax on plastic bags and has now reduced its consumption of bags by 90%.
  • In 2003, Taiwan banned the free distribuiton of plastic bags.
  • Also in 2003, South Africa made platic bags illegal.
  • In 2005, Eritrea, Rwanda and Somalia banned plastic bags.
  • In 2007, San Francisco became the first US city to ban plastic bags.
  • As of April 22, 2008 (Earth Day), Whole Foods ended the use of disposable plastic bags.
  • China will save 37 million barrels of oil each year by banning free plastic bags, in 2008.