Plastic grocery bags are terrible for the environment. Not only are we using billions of plastic sacks every year, but they can’t be recycled. So where do they end up? Threatening marine life in our oceans, clogging up our storm drains, and contributing greatly to our global trash buildup. In this quick read, you’ll discover how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle by making the switch to reusable grocery bags.
The Environmental Effect of Plastic Grocery Bags
According to the WorldWatch Institute, 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags were produced in a single year, and 100 billion plastic grocery bags are tossed each year by Americans alone. Because we aren’t able to recycle these bags, they have accumulated to become a massive portion of human-related ocean pollution that crowds the seabed.
These thin, polyethylene sacks are devastating to marine life, resulting in the death of countless sea creatures every year. You’ve probably seen pictures or videos of innocent marine life entangled in the plastic or mistaking the garbage for food, but the chemicals of polyethylene are also toxic once they begin to break down and seep into our oceans.
You Can’t Recycle Plastic Grocery Bags
Thanks to the awareness efforts initiated by countless organizations, many Americans are aware of the problem that plastic bags pose to our oceans and marine life. Unfortunately, in an attempt to reduce their contribution to the issue, they toss their plastic sacks in the recycling bin. The fact of the matter is that plastic grocery sacks cannot be recycled.
Like so many other plastic products, single-use grocery bags do nothing more than gum up the machines used to recycle other materials. Not only is the polyethylene impossible to break down and reuse, but it can take up to 1,000 years to completely decompose in a landfill.
Reusable Grocery Bags
Perhaps the greatest solution to our global plastic waste comes in the form of affordable, reusable grocery bags. When you make the switch to reusable grocery bags, you can greatly reduce your impact on the environment. Collectively, we can contribute far less to the plastic sack manufacturing pollution, oil consumption, and global trash buildup.
The best part about switching to reusable grocery bags is that the change is painless and affordable. Chances are, you can find cheap reusable bags at the grocery store you shop at. If not, you can browse Amazon for a complete set. Nowadays, you can even find reusable grocery bags in different sizes, like say, a mesh bag for your produce, so as to forgo the plastic produce sacks.
Let’s Make a Difference
Together, we can make a real difference for the sake of the world in which we live. Switch to reusable grocery bags and find out how you can keep improving your environmental impact with Spring Power & Gas Services.
Find more ways to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle on our blog, and learn more about our environmental fund to find out how we can help you make the world a greener, cleaner place to live.
