Declaring War on The Grocery Bag

After hearing all the horror stories about plastic bags over the past few years coupled with the desire to stop being so wasteful- Scotty and I began using reusable cloth shopping bags this summer. I think they were a $1 a bag, I keep them in the trunk of my car and try to use them whenever I can.

Why you should ban the plastic bag:

The biggest problem with plastic bags is that they do not readily break down in the environment, with estimates for the time it takes them to decompose ranging from 20 to 1000 years.

One of the disquieting facts stemming from this is that plastic bags can become serial killers. Once an animal that had ingested a plastic bag dies, it decays at a much faster rate than the bag. Once the animal has decomposed, the bag is released back into the environment more or less intact, ready to be eaten by another misguided organism. In the marine environment plastic bag litter is lethal, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year.



A Bryde's whale died on a Cairns beach after ingesting 6 square metres of plastic - including plastic bags. Such obstructions in animals can cause severe pain, distress and death. On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. One farmer near Mudgee NSW, carried out an autopsy on a dead calf and found 8 plastic bags in its stomach.

I know I'm not saying anything new- but sometimes info goes in one ear and out the other. If you don't already use cloth bags, spend a few bucks and make a big difference.

PLUS- you can fit so much more into a cloth bag and you don't have to worry about them breaking before you get them in you house!