Why Are Plastic Grocery Bags Bad for the Environment?

Plastic grocery bags are cheap and convenient for both grocery stores and the consumer. As a result, shoppers use these bags for 80 percent of their shopping trips. According to the Department of Natural Resources of Wisconsin, approximately 100 billion plastic grocery bags are used in the United States every year.

Litter

Plastic grocery bags can be seen everywhere; on the side of the road, hanging from trees and bushes and stuck to fences. They are a major cause of roadside litter.

Sea Animals

Many plastic grocery bags end up in the ocean, where they are ingested by sea animals. Other animals are strangled or suffocated by the bags.

Landfills

Bags can take up to 100 years to decompose in the landfill. The sheer number of the bags used adds up to a significant presence in the landfill.

Cheap

Since they are so inexpensive, stores overuse them. Often, one or two bags are sufficient, but the grocery clerk uses twice that many. The more bags are overused, the more damage is done to the environment.

In Our Water

Bags often end up in streams, rivers and lakes. As they sit there in the water, tiny toxic bits seep out of them and into our groundwater.

Pollution

The manufacturing process of plastic grocery bags contributes to the pollution of the environment. Also, plastic bags require refined oil or natural gas which damages the environment when extracted.

References

• National Geographic News
• Dept. Natural Resources - Wisconsin