Sack Plastic Bags for the Planet's Sake

I purchased my first reusable grocery bag this week. It’s big and blue with bold pictures of surfboards and palm trees stenciled on each side. Given the fact that plastic bags are littering our landfills and causing the demise of many land and sea creatures, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get a handle on the plastic bag problem.

According to ReusableBags.com, “hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.” The Web site also points out that many land animals such as cows and goats suffer a similar fate to marine life. “Once swallowed, plastic bags choke animals or block their intestines, leading to an agonizing death.”

But I had an excuse for my eco-unfriendly shopping habit: I reused the plastic bags I brought home for the grocery store by lining my bathroom trash can. It finally dawned on me that these toxic totes eventually ended up in a garbage dump anyway. Every year, billions of tons of non-biodegradable plastic bags are tossed in the trash and they’re not going anywhere soon—they take up to 1,000 years to degrade. And they don’t just sit there: as the bags break down, they spew out toxic chemicals, which contaminate our soil and water. Japanese researchers reported in a 2001 paper that discarded plastic acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up oodles of deadly compounds such as PCBs and DDE (and its equally noxious insecticide cousin, DDT).

Here’s a few more points to ponder about polymerization products, courtesy of ReusableBags.com: The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and natural gas—both of which are non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers. In addition, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile wildlife habitats and ecosystems around the world. It may surprise you to know that the energy needed to manufacture and transport disposable bags gobbles up precious resources and creates more hot air than GW. (No, I’m not talking about George W.; I’m referring to Global Warming.) And that’s not all: consumption costs are enormous. It’s estimated that the annual cost to U.S. retailers is $4 billion. So, that “free” bag you get at the checkout counter for your Wheaties and waffles? It actually costs you a bundle because retailers are passing on the cost to consumers.

And if you’re under the impression that paper is better this plastic, I’m sorry to disappoint you. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. And because most paper comes from tree pulp, the impact on forests and its wild inhabitants is huge. Consider these facts: In 1999, 14 million trees were cut down to produce 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper sacks generate 70% more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags and current research shows that paper in landfills does not degrade or break down at a significantly faster rate than plastic does. Paper and plastic bags, my friends, are so passé.

To get a grip on this colossal conundrum, countries such as Ireland have instigated a consumption tax on plastic bags. The “PlasTax”—introduced in 2002—resulted in a 90% drop in consumption and approximately 1 billion fewer bags consumed annually. In the United States in 2007, San Francisco was the first city to ban plastic bags and other cities such as New Haven , Connecticut and Marin County , California are considering similar ordinances. Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban plastic carryout bags in the city’s supermarkets and stores by July 2010, but only if the state fails to impose a 25-cent fee on every shopper who requests them. And large retailers such as IKEA no longer offer free plastic bags to customers (they charge 5 cents per bag).

And what about dog waste? According to Paul Cannella, the owner—or “El Presidente” as he likes to call himself—of Poopbags.com, nearly 4 million tons of dog waste goes uncollected annually (and I’m pretty sure a good portion of that gets deposited on my street, if you can believe one of my neighbors). The rest gets scooped up with—you guessed it—non-biodegradable bags. Cannella’s solution? Buy his company’s 100% biodegradable poop bags (which just happens to have several types available for sale—visit www.poopbags.com for ordering information).

Since purchasing my nifty reusable bag—as small as the gesture may seem—I feel like I’m helping the environment and easing animal suffering. And, as an added bonus, I’m no longer faced with the “paper or plastic” puzzle at the checkout counter.

I finally gave the boot to those blasted bags and you can too. In addition to reducing and recycling, pick up a few reusable totes for those trips to the grocery store. Whether you buy a yellow, red, purple, or blue bag, I think you’ll find it’s easy to go green.

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Karen, a.k.a The Bag Lady, wants to hear your story about how you sacked plastic bags. Send an email message to her at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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