Sustainability Sunday 1/10/21

​Stop using plastic bags!
When I think about the consumption of plastic bags it is completely impractical. The average plastic bag is used once and lasts forever. The average lifespan for a plastic bag is 20 minutes. 20 minutes of convenience is not worth the detrimental impacts that plastic bags have, especially when there is the alternative of a reusable bag. Although you can recycle plastic bags, the probability of it actually being recycled is slim. With only 9% of plastic ever being recycled in the U.S, plastic bags make up such a small percentage of recyclables. Only 5% of plastic bags in the U.S ever get recycled, resulting in a larger portion of waste than almost any other single use plastic item. The reason they are hardly recyclable is because the machinery in recycling centers cannot process the bags, with the plastic getting caught in the machinery. Not using plastic bags is such a simple and easy environmental fix, but the impact would be so incredible.
Marine animals are highly impacted by our use of plastic bags specifically. Many of the plastic bags that end up in the ocean are not from costal areas, making lack of plastic bag consumption crucial in all areas of the world. Sea animals will often mistake plastic bags for food or get entangled in them. This is not natural. This is not ethical. Organisms should not struggle or be severely negatively impacted because of our unethical consumption and craving for convenience. When you look around and pay close attention to how many places use plastic bags, you will find that they are so engrained in average daily consumption. Bringing your own bags to every place from the grocery store to the mall will reduce your carbon footprint dramatically, and eventually become habitual. Once again, this is another example of small actions from many individuals making lasting impacts.

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