Plastic Bags Are Out of Style
Plastic bags are easy, convenient, and disposable. This is why you can find them at almost any grocery store in the country. Unfortunately, this convenience is exactly what makes plastic bags so dangerous.
Americans use a whopping 100 billion plastic bags every single year. The consequences of this are extreme. To produce these bags requires 12 million barrels of oil, which means a lot of pollution entering into our atmosphere. Additionally, less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled or reused which causes billions of plastic bags to end up in landfills and ecosystems.
Another terrifying fact about plastic bags is that they take roughly 500 years photo-degrade. Notice that I did not say decompose, that is because plastic bags never decompose. Photo-degradation means that the bag has been broken down into micro-plastics which perpetually soak up environmental toxins and pollute the Earth.
Plastic bags are also responsible for killing tons of marine life every single year. In fact, one single plastic bag can kill more than 100 dolphins. This is because they eat the bags, thinking they’re jellyfish, which causes them to starve. The bags do not decompose with the animal’s body and therefore can incur more victims. Sea turtles also often fall prey to thinking plastic bags are jellyfish and resultantly die.
The good news here is that you don’t have to use plastic bags and contribute to pollution and wildlife death. Here are some tips and tricks that I use to make sure I don’t forget my reusable bags when grocery shopping!
I have a list on my iPhone in the Reminders app which is called ‘Groceries.’ At the top of this list, I always have the item grocery bags. The items I need to purchase are listed below. I never check off the grocery bag item so that it is constantly there anytime that I am getting ready to go to the grocery store. Another thing that I do, is keeping a lot of reusable grocery bags in the trunk of my car. This way they are always there when you need them, even when running to the store spur of the moment on your way home.
Some of my favorite grocery bags to use are Lululemon shopping bags. This is because they are quality, strong, and they come with the purchase of clothing that I already buy. I always ask for the big bags, even when buying small, singular items just so that I can use them as grocery bags. Additionally, many other clothing companies give customers cloth bags that can be reused as grocery bags. This isn’t for everyone; there are so many ways to get reusable bags. They are often sold at grocery stores and you can order them online as well. Amazon and Etsy both have a wide selection!
This may seem like a trivial change to make, but when you think about the fact that the average American family uses 1,500 plastic bags a year, you realize what a difference reusable bags truly make! We all have a part to play in reducing our environmental footprint. Making a commitment to use reusable grocery bags is one of the first steps to take in doing this.