Worldwide, we use 1 trillion plastic bags per year, 2 million per minute, with an average use time of only 12 minutes. Something we use so briefly, yet remains in the environment for hundreds of years after its disposal.

Scientists estimate that over 5 trillion pieces of plastic are now contaminating the ocean. Plastic bags can be mistaken by wildlife as food - sea turtles often mistake them for jellyfish and consume these toxic particles that poison them and the entire food chain over time. Animals can also become ensnared in these bags, causing serious injury, suffocation, and death.

The harmful estrogenic chemicals found in plastics act as artificial sex hormones in the body and are known carcinogens.  Allowing our food and environment to become saturated with these harmful materials for something used just 12 minutes doesn't seem worth it.

It is so easy to bring a reusable bag to the grocery store instead. They are more durable, can hold a heavier weight of products, and take up little space in a purse or the trunk of a car. Most grocers receive their products in card board boxes which can be recycled at the end of the register as the perfect environmentally friendly and sturdy container for transporting your groceries to your vehicle. 

By banning the automatic distribution of plastic bags in grocery stores in PA we can set an example for the rest of the country and create a safer future for our families and wildlife alike. Simply taxing plastic bags isn't enough. The continued manufacturing and distribution of these toxic substances must be stopped, and demanding that stores enforce the use of reusable bags or card board boxes is an easy first step to a greener, plastic free future. 

Together, we can make a huge difference. 

Thank you!