Plastic Bag Facts
- An estimated 100 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year
- Worldwide, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used
- Although plastic bags are recyclable, less than 3% of them actually are. The rest end up in landfills, oceans, and as litter
- An estimated 4 billion plastic bags end up as litter each year worldwide
- 4 out of 10 people believe plastic bags will biodegrade, even though they won't
- In landfills, plastic bags sit for roughly 1,000 years before decomposing and release toxic chemicals into the soil during decomposition.
- In our oceans, plastic debris was found in almost 75% of dead sea turtles in 2002
- Further, there are reports of problems with entanglement or ingestion of marine debris, including plastic bags, in 86% of all known species of sea turtles
- An EPA ranking of chemicals that produce the most hazardous waste showed 5 of the top 6 were used by the plastics industry
- An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to produce the plastic bags used in the US each year
How Reusable Bags Help
Using reusable eco-friendly bags will lessen our demand for plastic bags, in theory reducing the production of them and the associated pollution and oil consumption. At the very least, reuse does not “support” the pollution that the creation of plastic bags creates.
On a Personal Level:
- Reusing just one bag in your daily life (grocery/home shopping, trips to the beach/pool, gym, picnics, festivals, travel, etc.) can “eliminate” the use of approximately 6 plastic bags every week.
- Saving 6 bags a week works out to 288 bags a year
- Adopting the use of reusable bags for one's entire life can “save” (reduce) the need for over 20,000 plastic bags
Reusable Bags Videos and Blog Posts:
More Reusable Bags Benefits
Beyond the environment, there are several other benefits to using an eco-friendly bag:
- Reusable shopping bags can carry at least twice as much as most standard plastic shopping bags.
- Reusable bags are easier to carry, typically having long, soft, fabric handles that are easy on the hands and are easy to put over your shoulder. This leaves your hands free for other things such as holding your child’s hand as you walk through the busy parking lot.
- Many bags are made from environmentally friendly fabrics, such as recycled or organic cotton and are non-toxic and non-allergenic.
- Additionally, reusable eco-friendly bags are washable and are made from strong fabric that will last for many years.
Free Grocery Bags are Not Free
Finally, many stores today offer credits for shoppers that bring their own bags instead of using plastic or paper. Although grocery stores offer bags for “free” the truth is that these bags are not free. Grocery stores have to pay for the bags and pass those costs on to the consumer via higher prices on items in the store. Stores provide credits to customers the bring their own bags as a way of not "charging" those customers for "free" bags. Typically this is not a huge credit, $0.10 per bag for example. However, the point is that over time, the reusable bag will pay for itself and in the long run and could actually save you money on groceries.
