THE PLASTIC BAG DILEMMA




For the past 30 years consumers have been using plastic bags whenever they shop. Today 1 million plastic bags are used per minute globally!! The sad part is that not one of the bags used in all this time has decomposed. The scary part is that we don’t know if they ever will.

Decomposition is nature’s way of recycling. The material breaks down into its basic components and is turned into useful minerals for plants to feed upon. This doesn’t happen with plastic unfortunately. Instead of decomposing, plastic just breaks down into small pieces which are then eaten by animals who mistake the plastic for food. The result is death for these creatures.

It is not hopeless though. There are things YOU can do to help stop anymore plastic from clogging our waterways and choking the life out of our wildlife.

1. Don’t use a plastic bag for just one or two items. How often do we use one bag (or two) for a gallon of milk? Is that really necessary? The milk has a handle and half the time the bag breaks anyway…so it’s really not more convenient.

2. Reuse your bags. Instead of getting new bags each time you shop, reuse the ones you have from previous trips.

3. Make something out o the plastic bags you have (see videos section for an idea on how).

4. Use paper instead of plastic. While not great it is the lesser of two evils. Paper lasts longer so it can be reused more. Plus it biodegrades.

5. Make or buy reusable cloth bags. Most stores sell them for $1 each and many places on the internet sell them as well. Morsbags.com has a free pattern you can use if you have access to a sewing machine (it’s a simple pattern).

6. You can also make your own plastic bags using potatos. They're eco friendly.Click here to find out more.



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