Break the Plastic Bag Addiction. It's Time!
One of my pet peeves is plastic bag use. They are so damaging to the planet and it's so easy to switch to reusable bags. This is a list of the many reasons to break the plastic bag addiction and start using reusable bags. Maybe one will strike a nerve. - Californians use more than 19 billion disposable plastic shopping bags each year
- Taxpayers spend more than $25 million to collect and dispose of them.
- A million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide.
- In the US less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled.
- Plastics are not biodegradable, they photo-degrade which means they break down into little toxic pieces. That can contaminate soil, water and harm wildlife.
- Approximately 60 to 90 percent of marine debris is plastic.
- Plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish or sponges, are mistaken for food by seabirds, marine mammals, fish and sea turtles.
- More than 1 million seabirds and marine mammals die each year because of ingestion and entanglement of debris including bags.
- Single-use bags made out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the big problem. They stay on the planet up to 1,000 years.
- It takes 11 barrels of oil to produce a ton of plastic bags.
- Producing 1 million bags generates 13 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
- Using a reusable bag for one year saves 300 to 700 plastic bags.
About this blog
Roxanne Kotzman is a Daily News Photo Department veteran of nine years. When she and longtime friend Stacy Long
discovered their love all of all things environmentally responsible, they launched Happy Monkey Planet and jumped head-first into the vibrant eco-community.
Wow, so much to learn! But initially the idea is a pretty simple one: Let's change the world through information, education and action.
Rox & Stacy are a lot like you: ecologically minded but sometimes just plain overwhelmed when charged with the task of making a far-reaching difference in the environment. They have jobs, families, homes, lives and pets.
But what if doing better was a simple as a light-bulb change, a reusable canvas grocery bag, recycling that soda can or a cold-water wash?
These eco-chicks just hope to have a little fun, learn a little more, share a lot of information and maybe make the planet a happier, greener, cleaner place.
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