Environmental Sustainability: Damage Caused by Plastic Bags

There are many ways that plastic bags are negatively affecting the environment. The problem with plastic bags is that they are usually used once before being disposed, and their long lifespan. Researchers estimate that each year 500 billion bags are used around the globe. Most of these bags end up polluting natural habitats by like rivers, lakes or oceans.

Plastic bags are commonly mistaken as food by all kinds of animals ranging from land to marine life. Marine life either choke to death on bags if swallowed whole therefore they cannot digest other foods and die a long slow death of infection. There are also cases where the animal dies from being poisoned from the chemicals used to make the bags.
Some easy solutions to solve this is to either reuse the plastic bags, bring your own reusable bag, decline the bag, or start charging for bags, or dont use a bag at all. If you don't have many groceries and you think or know that you can carry your own items, do it. Doing these small things result in many benefits. Like saving electricity, gas, landfill space, energy, animals, and air pollution.


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