Thursday, September 2 2010

LAST WEEK, I resolved to kick the plastic water bottle habit. This week I resolve to bring my own bags with me to the grocery store. This is a no brainer. By now most of us should have adopted this habit. Reusable bags are becoming more mainstream and several stores and supermarkets in the United States, as well as some right here in TT, are offering them to consumers to use instead.

Plastic bags that are not biodegradable are not only dangerous to the environment but also to your health. It takes literally years for one plastic bag to break down in the environment. We really have no idea what the long term effect will be on ecosystems and the humans, plants and animals that make them up. Right now there is a movement that will hopefully gain momentum for re-usable bags to be promoted worldwide.

Plastic bags became popular in the mid 1980s when they were seen as a cheaper alternative to paper. Unfortunately, worldwide use of plastic bags has grown to 500 billion to a trillion a year. With only about one percent of these bags being recycled. That figure is astounding.

The bags are clogging up landfills, waterways and killing animals.. Plastic bags contain a host of chemicals that break down into petro polymers which contaminate our soil and water.

Breast cancer is being studied as a major result of the plastic bag epidemic. This is due to the environmental estrogen BPA, that is introduced into our surroundings from the breakdown of these plastics. Can you imagine what else it might be doing to us physically? The situation is simply alarming.

Many countries are now starting campaigns and introducing laws to ban plastic bags. Among them are Australia, China, many European countries and the United States. With 29 billion tonnes of plastic bags ending up in our landfills each year the problem may not be soon corrected as considerable damage has already been done

Fortunately we can each do our part and reduce our plastic consumption. Try to take it one step further by bringing your own bags whenever you go shopping for anything in general. Invest in re-usable bags and stop contributing to the worldwide statistic of one trillion plastic bags annually.



(Sharon Wilson is the Manager/Founder of Earth Scents Caribbean Ltd (Handmade soaps & Candles). Send queries or comments to earthscents@hotmail.com.)