Why to Use Reusable Shopping Bags

According to the statistic the Americans alone throw more than 100 billion of plastic bags on an annual basis and just about 1-3% of this amount is actually recycled.

Below there are some of the major disadvantages of plastic bags.

For the beginning, you need to understand that plastic bags are not biodegradable. As a rule, they spoil the landscape, clog waterways and end up in landfills where they could easily take more than 1000 years to break down into smaller particles that continue to pollute both the water and soil.

Bear in mind that plastic bags pose a serious problem to the wildlife. Quite often marine creatures and birds mistake plastic bags for food. Because of this this every year we lose thousands of marine animals. Apart from this, plastic bags manufacturing requires millions of gallons of petroleum that otherwise could be utilized for transportation.

You need to know that the problem with plastic bags does not start when they become waste. In fact, damage is caused during their production as well. Remember that the plastic bags are made from petroleum derivatives, which come from oil – a non-renewable fossil fuel. The manufacturing of plastic bags causes air pollution from factories and this is not to mention all the other problems which are traditionally associated with the use of oil.

But, if you want to protect the environment, then the best thing you can do is to switch to reusable shopping bags. You have to know that these bags are made from renewable materials and are aimed to replace both plastic and paper bags. In fact, reusable shopping bags are convenient as well as come in different styles, sizes and materials.

These days, different stores, including book stores and grocery stores are selling reusable shopping bags at the checkout as a great alternative to plastic ones. Aside from this, reusable bags could be found on the web and at specialized stores.

Modern world is trying to become more eco-friendly. One of the ways to facilitate it is using reusable bags. So don’t forget your reusable grocery bags when going shopping next time.