Plastic is versatile, lightweight, inexpensive, waterproof and convenient to use. For these reasons we have seen an explosion of its use over the last 40 years in a wide variety of products. One such common product is single-use plastic bags. Plastic bags are in almost every American household, with nearly 100 billion bags distributed a year, because most retail giants continue to use them for nearly every purchase made in their stores. Unfortunately, there is also a down side to its popularity. Low cost has led to overuse. And they have made the transition from marvel to menace. They are among the least recycled plastic products, with as little as 1% of plastic bags returned for recycling. This is further perpetuated by the fact that some sorting facilities won’t even accept them due to the flimsy consistency which tends to jam up machinery.

Plastic bags are in the top five items found on beaches and rivers. Some predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. The light material makes it easy to transport and cling to debris. And since this synthetic material does not biodegrade, it will last in the environment forever. Marine and other wildlife will often mistake plastic bags for food. This is deadly since the plastic can get lodged, causing them to suffocate or even starve to death. 100,000 marine animals are killed annually. Plastic bags left in the environment will fragment into smaller pieces, called microplastics, which are ingested into various marine animals and have potential to enter the food chain.

Eliminating single-use bags won’t completely turn the problem of plastic polluntion around, but it is a simple step in the right direction. Nothing we use for a few minutes should be allowed to pollute the planet, primarily the oceans and rivers, and threaten to destroy wildlife.