Bluesday Tip #3: Bag Plastic Bags

Today is Bluesday! On the first Tuesday of each month, I share a tip for How To Be Blue. Being blue is about caring for the ocean - what we put into it, and what we take out of it.

This month's Bluesday tip: Bag Plastic Bags.

If you’re like me, you may not have noticed how many plastic bags you use in a given day - one for your deli lunch, one for toothpaste and hand soap at the drug store, several more for groceries, maybe another one at the mall. I started to pay attention and realized that I ended up with a plastic bag in my hands after almost any routine purchase.

Everything seems to get stuffed into plastic bags.

Worst of all, plastic bags have an extremely short useful life – the few minutes it takes to carry items from the store to the car to the house.

And then what?

We (cringe) throw the plastic bag away…

And where exactly is away?

Well, away may start out as the trash can or landfill, but often away ends up to be the beach or the ocean.

Each year, thousands of seabirds and marine mammals die from ingestion of or entanglement in plastics such as single-use plastic bags. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for food (jellyfish), a mistake that can be fatal.

The problem with plastic is that it doesn’t biodegrade, it photodegrades. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces with exposure to the sun’s UV light. As a result, virtually every piece of plastic that has ever been produced still exists in some shape or form. Millions of plastic bags are sitting in landfills and garbage cans, or caught in drains or around animals’ bodies.

The good news is that there are so many ways to reduce plastic bag use!

Buy a reusable fabric bag. Bags made from canvas or cotton can be used repeatedly and are usually washable. Most grocery stores offer such bags for sale in their stores right near the check out. Try reusable bags for all purchases, not just groceries. (The most difficult thing about reusable bags is to remember to bring them with you!)

Ask for paper, not plastic. Although it is best to use a fabric bag, paper is recyclable and decomposes faster.

Reuse plastic bags that you already have. Be creative! Plastic bags can be used to stuff a giant pet pillow, to line paint trays or baseboards for painting, or they can be stored in the car for wet clothes and shoes. The possibilities are endless. Search the internet for helpful ideas.

Encourage your local stores to charge for plastic bags (IKEA started charging for plastic bags in mid-March). Most people would rather carry their own purchases by hand than pay for a bag.

Stuff the stuff. If you must use plastic bags, be sure to completely fill up each bag to reduce the total number used. Don’t bag items like laundry detergent and drink cartons that have their own handles.

Find biodegradable plastic bags (try pet stores, pet shelters, environmental agencies, and chambers of commerce). Some bags decompose in around 15 days.

It takes time to change any habit. I’ve been trying to Bag Plastic Bags for months now. Some days, I walk out of the grocery store with two fabric bags full of food, feeling good, definitely being blue. Other days, I forget my fabric bag at a store that doesn’t offer paper with too many items to carry in my hands. And I end up with a plastic bag. But I try to keep it for later use instead of throwing it to the dreaded away.

Being blue takes time.

Just do the best you can to Bag Plastic Bags. The ocean creatures will thank you!

May you turn a deeper shade of blue with each passing month.

P.S. An interesting website for more information: http://www.riseaboveplastics.org/