Reusable Trash Bags

## About

Year after year, hundreds of grocery bags and other plastic bags end up in the ocean. Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They go through a process called photo degradation — where they break down into smaller and smaller toxic particles that can contaminate both soil and water. It usually ends up entering the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. This needs to stop. Every single bag that makes its way into the ocean is killing one more animal, destroying our earth.
Thankfully, In some countries, a new single use plastic ban has already been put into place. Some grocery stores have made it so you have to buy your plastic bags so they won't be free. Some have banned them all together.

While you have to buy reusable bags, you only have to buy them once. Some bags even come in pretty designs! They can be used several times, and they don't kill the environment. By using them, you aren't only saving animals, you are saving yourself!

### Here are some reasons why you should use reusable bags:

1. Plastic bags kill up to 100,000 marine animals every year.

1. A plastic bag takes up to 500 years to degrade in a landfill. According to the Earth Day Network, as plastic bags break down, they absorb toxins which can be released into the wind, water, or ground.

1. The Centers for Biological Diversity reports that harm to at least 267 different species has been attributed to plastic pollution in the oceans.

1. The Earth Day Network states that only about 1% of the 4 trillion plastic bags used worldwide annually are recycled, and residents of the United States throw away up to 100 billion plastic bags every year.

1. Plastic bags rarely stay where you put them. Even if you are careful about dumping them in a trash can, they will escape when the can is opened, and the wind is blowing. This leads to bags all around cities and towns, making the area aesthetically unappealing.

1. Plastic bags are rarely recycled because of the associated costs. It takes around $5,000 to recycle just one ton of these bags, while that amount only sells for around $30. No one is going to waste that much money recycling these bags, which is why they are always thrown out.

1. A reusable bag is not going to tear for a long time. These bags are incredibly durable. You can probably use them to carry your groceries for years before needing a replacement.

1. Many stores offer discounts and other incentives to shoppers who use these bags. While you may only save a few cents per trip, this adds up to a lot of money in a few years!

1. The worst feeling after a grocery-store trip happens when your bag rips and items fall out on the sidewalk. Sometimes an item breaks or gets damaged, while other times, it is just frustrating and inconvenient. This never happens with reusable bags!

1. Reusable bags can carry a lot more items than a plastic bag, which means less hassle when you have a big load of groceries. Instead of ten different bags, you probably only need a few reusable bags to get the job done.

1. Producing plastic bags requires energy. Transporting bags to the store burns through more energy. Much of this energy is obtained by burning hydrocarbons, which releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Choosing reusable bags means the manufacturing of fewer plastic bags, which will cut carbon dioxide emissions. Here the contribution may seem small, but to avoid catastrophic climate change, every little effort counts.

1. Reusable bags are made from sustainable crops such as bamboo or jute. Buying them can help farmers and textile workers to support themselves and their families. In less-developed nations, demand for reusable bags can offer a valuable new source for earning revenue

1. Plastics are a rapidly growing segment of municipal solid waste (MSW), according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has been collecting plastic bag statistics for more than a decade. Roughly 2% of plastic bags are recycled in the United States. The rest are left to live indefinitely in landfills or decompose in our oceans, where they leech toxins into the water and soil. In addition to petroleum, the manufacture of plastic bags uses dyes, plasticizers, and other toxic chemicals containing lead, cadmium, and other toxins that leach out into the environment, and many of the byproducts of their manufacture end up in the environment as pollution

### A Bonus:

According to Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 doesn’t survive on a soft surface like fabric. It does survive on hard surfaces and on plastics. Think before you use plastic.

### Some Great Websites To Buy Reusable Bags From:

Pens.com

Baggu.com

1. ↑ \*https://www.treehugger.com/paper-plastic-or-something-better-1204155
https://www.pens.com/blog/why-use-reusable-bags/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/30-breathtaking-reasons-to-switch-to-reusable-bags.php