ellie925
Every country has different laws regarding plastic bags, I am curious to hear how things are where you live.
Here, in big supermarket thin produce plastic bags are free, but plastic bags with handles are usually charged. An exception is stores that give away plastic or paper bags with their logo whenever you make a purchase. Some are now giving away reusable fabric bags or even ask you whether you want a bag or not.
I usually have a reusable bag with me, and most of the time I avoid buying plastic bags, but unless I am asked whether I want a bag, I take the free ones. Depending on their size and condition, I reuse them for grocery shopping or to store things. If the bag is dirty, I use it to collect trash in it, and if it’s teared I either recycle it or use it as a mat to protect the floor surface if I am doing some art and craft project. What about you, what do you do with plastic bags?
Some statistics about plastic bags
Every second, 160,000 plastic bags are used around the world.
It takes more than 500 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Unfortunately, the bags don’t break down completely but instead photo-degrade. This means that after they degrade, they break down into smaller toxic bits that continue to contaminate the environment.
Only 1 to 3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.
100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic bags annually.
Read more facts here: source 1, source 2
Photo: Pixabay.com
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What do you do with plastic bags?
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I throw them
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I reuse them
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I recycle them
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I never take them
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It depends
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Other (tell me in the comments)
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There are no longer any plastic bags here in Spain. I use reusable bags.
That’s good to hear!
I like the idea of recycling. Our supermarkets no longer use plastic bags, I just reuse my plastic bags and always take my existing bags when going shopping.
That’s great, I do that too!
I got tagged to come here. I am behind on this game. It is fun.
Thank you for stopping by!
In Spain, you some cents in the supermarket to take a plastic bag. In Ireland is nearly a Euro so nobody buys plastic bags. Plastic bags should be forbidden in supermarkets
Plastic bags can be a big problem indeed, thanks for stopping by!
In the USA, all of the plastic that is trash is sent to Malaysia.
The waste business has its scary sides too.
That’s my problem with canvas bags, I always manage to get them dirty and they need to be washed often. I have seen some really cute ones; I think making them is a good idea since people are getting more conscious about the environment.
It is a good idea in my opinion too
I do everything I can to avoid taking plastic bags – I will always carry a cloth bag with me when shopping and always refuse offers of bags by retailers.
That’s a great approach!
We have a single use plastic bag ban since 2016 here in the state I live in. CA. You can buy biodegradable bags or cloth for 10 cents. I always always forgot to put the cloth ones back in the car, or take them with me. SO…. I pay the 10 cents for the biodegradable and reuse it for bathroom and office trashcan liners, and cat litter scooping. Great post, its awesome to see the different laws from everywhere.
Biodegradable bags seem like a great alternative to plastic.
In my country they charge for those that want plastic bags for their groceries. I got mine before the law went into effect and also got some cloth bags so when it went into effect I was ready and brought my own bags to bag my groceries. Once in awhile if do not have my bags with me will get one.
The situation here is similar.
What an awesome post-Ellie! Here (US Maryland) they charge for plastic bags so we use reusable bags. When we do get plastic bags, they go right into recycling!
That’s really awesome!
it has resulted in a change in behavior.
now let’s talk about plastic straws! They are also bad news.
They sure are! I personally hardly ever use straws, but I see there are many alternatives nowadays, which seems great.
i always tell the server, no straw for me!
I almost never have them. They were banned where I used to live.
I have tried really hard to eliminate all the plastic. I reuse and upcycle what plastic comes in my house if I can.. It is so hard to wipe plastic completely from your life.
It’s fun having glass milk bottles and yogurt jars that I take back or pay a deposit. Reminds me of when I was very young.
Oh, I forgot — I tied some bags together and braided them into ‘rope’ for tie-downs. They are actually pretty strong.
There are many ways to reuse and repurpose plastic. I don’t think we can completely remove it from our lives, but as long as it is reused and recycled, I think it’s not that bad.
I have been trying to get rid of all the plastics in my life as well. Boy, it is hard though. I really love the plastic storage containers for food. What did they use for leftovers back in the day?
Some alternatives are glass, metal and beeswax wraps, but I think if you already have the plastic containers, it makes sense to keep using them, especially if it’s an item that will last for at least a few more years.
I always take tote bags to the stores with me but if I do have some plastic bags I put trash in them and throw them out.
As long as hey are reused, I think it’s not that bad.
Unless broken or torn, we do not throw plastic bags that we can reuse. When dirty, we wash it and dry it before keeping in the storage.
That is a great way to save some money and reduce the plastic waste!
What cannot be reused is given away to the garbage collector organised by the government.
That’s great, thank you for sharing!
We pay for plastic bags here. I use less plastic bags than before.
That is a good way to reduce their use.
In my country, the situation is similar as you described. I sort out all my trash and all plastic is going for recycling.
It is great you recycle them!
I use them as trash can liners. I use them in the car to throw trash in.
I do that too, they always come useful at some point.
Plastic is prohibited in our country. I always use them repeatedly and then recycle it.
Is it impossible to buy them? I was in Slovenia for a short trip this spring, but I didn’t notice about the bags.
No, we can only buy biodegradable bags.
I see, thank you very much for the information!
We have been banned from plastic bags for over a year, dear Ellie …. but I use the old ones until she scrapes and then throw them away in a plastic container
Oh, that’s great! Is it impossible to buy them at all?
Nowhere else are they on sale … if by any chance a trader still using plastic bags would pay a hefty fine … if I’m not mistaken about 10,000 euros … now they have been replaced with paper or cloth bags
That is a great solution to this problem! I am personally not against using plastic bags, but people are very unconscious about what happens to them after the use.
I give them to my neighbor. He uses them to put tomatoes in during the summer after he picks them from his garden. I am trying to get him to start using paper. Working on him.
I think as long as they get reused, it’s already a good start. Best of luck with helping him realize the benefits of using paper bags instead.
I give them to someone who repurposes them into strudy bags that be used over and over, much like a cloth bag.
This is really awesome!
I always reuse plastic bags, if it can’t be reused I recycle it.
I do the same thing. I don’t understand how only 1 to 3% get recycled.
Plastic bags were banned in my country about 5 years ago. We use reusable fabric bags.
That’s amazing! Are they completely unavailable to buy?
The are unavailable to be purchased. They we’re totally banned from being used or sold.
That’s very impressive! What do you use for lining trash cans, or do you just wash the trash cans after you throw the garbage out?
Plastics were helpful in that way but these bags don’t help at all. I usually wash the trash can after throwing out the garbage. Or use the bags as trash cans.