You might wonder why an international day for a plastic bag? But according to the website www.plasticbagfreeday.org the facts are as follows:
On average, plastic bags are used for 25 minutes!;
It takes between 100-500 years for a plastic bag to disintegrate (depending on the type of plastic);
1 million plastic bags are in use around the world every minute;
80% of marine litter is plastic;
3.4 million tonnes of plastic carrier bags are produced in the EU each year. This corresponds to the weight of more than two million cars!
Single-use plastic bags are…BAD FOR THE PLANET: They take 100s of years to degrade and they not only pollute the environment, but actually directly harm many living organisms. It doesn’t make sense to produce something that lasts 100s of years when it is going to be used for a few minutes. It is a contradiction that in a throw-away society nothing good lasts, whilst bad products are forever. Producers don’t take responsibility for the impact of their product. Plastic bags are cheap to produce but very expensive to clean from the environment. They embody the message of the throw-away society that is trashing the planet. Future generations will suffer from the pollution caused by plastic bags, without getting any of the benefit.
Future generations don’t vote, but they count. Pulverised plastic waste in the sea gets into the food chain.
If you ever again consider to ask the cashier for a plastic bag, please remember these facts and next time, take your own reusable bags with. Information obtained from www.plasticbagfreeday.org
Compiled by Elrina Versfeld on behalf of the Pearly Beach Conservancy
