It is no secret that the process and materials used to manufacture paper and plastic bags, the most common carriers of our shopping and all sorts of products, are environmentally harmful. Awareness is increasing of the pollution, harm to animals, excessive oil consumption and landfills that are filled beyond capacity.
Fortunately the alternative, green bags, present a way to overcome these problems while offering a strong and environmentally superior way to carry your purchases.
#1: The costs of producing plastic bags…
A disturbingly and unnecessarily high number of plastic bags are used in the world each year. Australia is known to be one of the world’s worst offenders of excessive reliance and use of plastic bags.
The issue here is not only that people use far too many plastic bags, the issue is also that while recycling schemes do exist, it costs more to recycle a plastic bag than create a new one. This grim reality means that precious few plastic bags are recycled, but many new plastic bags are manufactured each year.
As reusable bags (which are often provided as promotional bags to advertise particular companies) come at little or no cost to the consumer and are strong and durable, they are more likely to be repeatedly used than their plastic counterparts.
#2: Less long-term environmental impact…
As few plastic bags are recycled, but are instead left to remain in landfills, oceans, parks and so many other places, they represent a long-term environmental hazard. Processes to produce and distribute plastic bags are polluting the atmosphere and the non-renewable resource of oil is heavily involved in their production.
People also need to be aware that most plastic bags take hundreds, if not thousands of years, to even begin to decompose. Consequently, animals are at an increased risk of dying from the ingestion of plastic bags or strangulation, choking and entanglement.
There is no denying that plastic bags are bad for the environment. Eco-friendly green bags therefore offer a range of environmental benefits, primarily because they are designed to be reused and are often made from environmentally friendly and sustainable materials and processes.
#3: ‘Save’ plastic bags…
If a person acquires a set of just four green bags and reuses these throughout their lifetime, it is estimated that this individual has the potential to ‘save’ more than twenty thousand plastic bags! This seems like a lot of plastic bags and it is.
Having just four reusable bags to use is most often adequate for carrying your shopping. Not only is it convenient for a person to use green bags, it is environmentally sound to do so. Reusable bags will not pollute the environment, cause the death of any animals or use up precious non-renewable resources. Furthermore, they carry the bonus of potentially being used for many years.
It is no great surprise that plastic bags are environmentally harmful, but they continue to be used because they are convenient, readily available and most often fit for purpose. However, reusable ‘green’ bags offer a great and more environmentally sound alternative.
By using green bags for your purchases, you are likely to save the production of a significant number of plastic bags and contribute to a reduction of the environmentally harmful effects of plastic bag production, distribution and disposal.