I used to love autumn – smokey bonfires, fireworks, the way the falling leaves revealed the bare bones of nature. Then one year a plastic bag got tangled up in the branches my favourite tree. Right at the top, out of reach. Next year, the leaves fell to reveal it was still there. Even worse it had been joined by another one. Now I spend Autumn stomping about enraged as yet another tree is shown to be bag ridden.
Hardly suprising the number of tree bags is increasing.
Globally, we produce about 500 billion plastic bags a year.
Eight billion plastic bags are handed out in the UK each year – or over 134 for every one of us.
Each bag is used for an average of 12 minutes before being thrown away.
As only 1 in 200 plastic bags in the UK are recycled that’s a lot of bags going in the rubbish bin.
About 45% of plastic litter is blown off rubbish dumps. Even bags that have been disposed of responsibly can end up on the streets. This is litter that can last for centuries as plastic takes decades to break down.
Plastic bags are not only ugly but dangerous too. The sea is full of bags and every year thousands of whales, dolphins and turtles die from eating plastic bags they mistake for food.
Made from petroleum, the amount used to produce one bag would fuel a car for 11 meters. 500 billion bags is a lot mileage.
Permanent litter, dead dolphins, oil shortgages – are “free” carrier bags worth it?
Especially when each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime.
For lots more bad bag facts visit the Modbury or Hebdon bridge bag free website. Or any of these. Dont blame me if you get depressed though.
Modbury www.plasticbagfree.com.
Hebdon Bridge http://www.plasticbagfreehebdenbridge.co.uk
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/our-oceans/pollution/trash-vortex
