“Have I remembered to BYOB this year”? This is a question every person ought to ask themselves. We are halfway through 2010 and there has by no means been a more critical period of time to bring your own reusable grocery bags. When you BYOB, as opposed to using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you instantly become a part of the answer to the massive urban litter quandary associated with disposable shopping bag waste. As of July 1, 2010, it is estimated that more than 240 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone. What ís yet even more alarming is the effect that plastic and paper throw-away bags are continuing to have on the natural environment. The function of this article is to review the most recent news regarding large-scale efforts to decrease the use of plastic and paper disposable bags along with the subsequent litter, and chat about what choices are available to us individual consumers in order to know for sure we are a part of the resolution to this crisis.
The excellent news is that BYOB momentum is rising quickly in this year. If you havenít heard yet, the California legislature has proposed a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), that would prohibit disposable bags sold in supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take complete effect around 2013. Even ìThe Governatorî, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would put his signature on the legislation if it makes it to his desk. This could be a huge victory for all friends of the natural world to have the biggest state, in the 3rd largest country on the earth, to put a prohibition on throw-away plastic bags. Bearing in mind that China first cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland lawmaking efforts to lower plastic bag consumption began in 2002, it is so amazing to be made aware that California lawmakers have introduced this bill to the table.
In the United States, cities from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have voted for or enacted laws that either tax consumers for the utilization of plastic bags or ban them overall, but California would be the first American state to take action if this possible law were to get through the senate. More exciting news, even lawmakers from the state of Texas have created possible legislation that would insert a seven-cent tax per single-use bag used. It is so exciting that there is a chance that both Texas and California might soon have policies in place to combat the plastic bag craze. Efforts by individuals and governments to shrink large-scale use of single-use shopping bags is a wonderful method to inspire people and spread the word regarding the extremely positive benefits of environmentally friendly reusable shopping bags.
Plastic grocery bags can take up to a thousand years to biodegrade totally, and before that it just decomposes down in to smaller and smaller poisonous pieces that find their way in our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable green reusable shopping bags, are a great option, once discarded in landfill sites, the exposure to daylight, oxygen, and heat will convert these bags into water, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass. Like a fallen leaf, it will vanish over time and leave Zero Destructive Residue in the soil. Single-use plastic bags finish up in our landfills moreover frequently get tangled and cause permanent damage in garbage management equipment. Millions if not billions of other bags end up as urban litter and commonly find their way in to rivers, resevoirs, streams, in addition to the ocean. Animals, especially nautical animals, get intertwined in single-use plastic bags, and/or ingest them and regularly suffocate or starve to death.
So the remedy brings us back to BYOB, which is extremely easy. Just remember to utilize ecologically friendly reusable shopping bags or recycled grocery bags, or reuse an older bag, period. Be sure to keep additional reusable bags within your car and/or within your knapsack, as you will want to make sure they are easy to get to as soon as you need them. Also remember to wash your bags following use, especially after transporting raw foods and cleaning supplies. You can also offer them to your friends as a reminder to BYOB. Of course, always remember to recycle when the chance presents itself, recycling is always a win-win situation for the natural world. Adopting a BYOB habit in our individual lives and organizations is certainly the best way to ensure we are truly part of the resolution rather than the problem. Now is the time to go out and lead by example.


