Inspired by the article from Zero Waste Guy, who writes on the need to support a ban to disallow the use of plastic bags in California, here are ten reasons it makes good ecological sense to ban the plastic bag!
Here are 10 reasons to ban the bag, via Heal the Bay:
1. Plastic bags kill ocean animals: every year more than one million seabirds and 100 thousand marine mammals are killed in our oceans
2. Plastic bags poison the food chain: fish and marine mammals eat plastic. If fish eat plastic and humans eat fish and you believe that you are what you eat…
3. Plastic bags are used for less than 12 minutes: disposable items are only used out of convenience, but are easily replaced with more durable options
4. Less than 5% of plastic bags get recycled: plastic bags jam up conveyor belt and equipment at recycled centers and just get thrown away
5. Plastic in the ocean could outweigh fish by 2050: that’s right, it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans
6. Cleaning up plastic bags costs taxpayers millions: plastic bags clog storm drains, polluting our waterways
7. Plastic bags aren’t free: the long-term effect of plastic pollution in our environment far outweighs the convenience of using a grocery bag for a few minutes
8. Plastic bags are an eyesore: we’ve all seen plastic bags blowing in the wind
9. The plastic bag industry profits off pollution: the impact of plastic bags on our environment is akin to the impact of cigarettes on our health
10. A statewide bag ban would make things simpler: currently bags are banned in some places, but not others, causing confusion. A statewide bag is easier for consumers and businesses alike
Stand up for what you believe in
Zero Waste Guy went the extra mile—literally!
“Yesterday I ran the Rock ‘n Roll Los Angeles half marathon draped in single-use plastic bags. I was inspired by Rob Greenfield’s garbage suit. In just under two hours I ran 13.1 miles, finishing in the top 84thpercentile overall! I received more positive feedback than I could have imagined. I even shared a photo from the finish line on Instagram that is now my most popular post ever!”
Support banning the bag!
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Original article appeared at Zero Waste Guy. Reprinted with permission.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Hi Jonathan, Have you seen the good news? Apparently, California passed the ban on plastic bags! Progress! http://www.nationofchange.org/2016/11/13/official-california-becomes-first-u-s-state-ban-plastic-bags/
LOL, I hate plastic bags, they don’t hold enough. I make my wife crazy because every time I go to the store, which us often, I usually buy a recycled canvas bag because it holds ore and less trips from the car to the house.
I grew up lugging paper bags of groceries from my dads station wagon to the house. Paper gangs were used to cut up and make book covers, mom used them to put unripened fruit. Ya’ll missed out on a lot.