Eco-Friendly Products

Have you ever tried to conceptualize how many paper and plastic bags we use?  The massive numbers are hard to wrap your head around, as are the negative environmental impact that each one of those disposable bags has.  The most amazing part of it all is that we can easily avoid using disposable bags and the associated environmental troubles by switching to reusable shopping bags.  Think paper and plastic bags aren't so bad?  Think again…

Plastic Bags

Over 500 billion plastic bags are consumed every year.  The majority of these bags end up in the trash and, ultimately, in landfills.  Recycling plastic bags is a futile effort as the cost to recycle them is about 99% higher than the recycled plastic is worth.

Additionally, over 240 species of marine life have been reported to be harmed by man-made plastic bags.  Some bags strangle animals, others kill animals from the inside as the animal mistakes the bag for food.  The problem is so bad that in some areas of the ocean plastic bits outnumber plankton by a ration of 6:1.

Paper Bags

Okay, so plastic bags aren't good – maybe you should switch to paper, right?  Wrong.  Don't forget about the trees!  Over 14 million trees were harvested in 1999 to product 10 billion paper bags, the majority of which were used once and then thrown away.  Yes, trees can grow back, but that's still 14 million fewer trees we had to absorb greenhouse gasses or that could have been used for much more productive and useful things.

Paper bags are also very energy inefficient.  They require 4 times the amount of energy to produce that plastic bags require, which is partly why plastic bags became so popular years ago.  Further, paper bags require 91% more energy to recycle and paper mills are notorious for using toxic chemicals during manufacture that can pollute our air and water.

The Answer:  Reusable Bags

Reusable shopping bags are great because they can be reused over and over again, hence the name.  They aren't expensive and serve purposes other than shopping, such as daily tote bags, beach bags, and so on.  They can carry more groceries than plastic bags, which makes unloading the car much easier.  Yes, they require energy to produce, but when that production impact is spread over the multi-year useful life of a bag, the overall impact is far less than paper or plastic bags.

Reusable bags are also much more durable than paper or plastic, meaning you're less likely to have damage to your groceries.  Ever had a plastic bag break and watched all your groceries spill out in the parking lot?  This won't happen with a quality reusable grocery bag.

Switching to reusable bags is easy.  The overall impact on the environment is more positive, and they're easier to use than disposable bags.  It's a win/win/win situation for everyone, so if you haven't already, make the switch today.