Plastic bags were introduced just over 25 years ago. Our handy little plastic bag consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500 billion annually, or almost 1 million per minute. Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they'll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years. Plastics are forever! Plastics do NOT biodegrade. Rather, they photodegrade. A process, where sunlight breaks down plastic into smaller and smaller pieces.
Here are some quick facts
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags. Four out of five grocery bags in the US are now plastic.
Australians consume about 6.9 billion plastic bags a year. That's 326 per person. According to Australia's Department of Environment, an estimated 49,600,000 annually end up as litter. As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected. Unfortunately, each year in Australia an estimated 50,000,000 plastic bags end up as litter.
In 2001, Ireland used 1.2 billion disposable plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag tax, or PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%.
Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC one group harvests 30,000 per month.
Taiwan banned both plastic bags and plastic utensils last year to stem a tide of 60,000 metric tons of waste.
According to the WSJ Target, the second-largest retailer in the U.S., purchases 1.8 billion bags a year.
Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food. See turtles mistake the bags for jellyfish.
According to the BBC, only 1 in 200 plastic bags in the UK are recycled.
The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
Worldwide, an estimated 4 billion plastic bags end up as litter each year. Tied end to end that’s enough to circle the earth 63 times.
Each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The bag will pay for itself if your grocery store offers a $.05 or $.10 credit per bag for bringing your own bags. I haven't had that offer here in Ontario, but I certainly like the idea. Regardless, I'm trying to use my canvas bags when shopping ... and not just for groceries!
I am also using biodegrable plastic bags when selling my paintings, prints and products. I will do all that I can to make the shift away from plastics. I hope you can too!
Here's one way to start! I'm very proud of these great quality cavas totes bags. I use them when I grocery shop, or any time I need a big bag. Click here and you'll be on your way...
It should be said, Polypropolene Bags are still plastic bags. You can get them at your grocery store for $1, and re-use them, but they will NOT degrade. Paper is better, Canvas is best if it's made from a 100% naturally renewable resource like cotton!
The Truth about Plastic Bags 
