How something as simple as using reusable grocery bags can make a big difference in the environment
Most people know that plastic bags hurt the environment, but you might not know how and why. People no longer need disposable plastic bags when they switch to reusable grocery bags. This means that less will be made, and if you use reusable grocery bags, you can help fix the problems that single-use plastic bags cause. Here are five reasons why plastic bags are bad for the environment and why reusable grocery bags are better for the environment.
Here are five ways that bringing your own bags to the store helps the environment.
Plastic Bags Use Up Resources That Can’t Be Replaced
Oil, which is used to make plastic bags, is a fossil fuel that can’t be made again. Greenhouse gases are released when disposable plastic shopping bags are made, so if we use less of them, we use less of the nonrenewable resources needed to make them and we don’t flood the environment with the greenhouse gases that are released.
Reusable Bags Help Save Trees
When people choose to bring their purchases home in reusable bags instead of single-use plastic bags, paper bags will end up in the same place as plastic bags. By getting rid of paper bags, fewer a resource is wasted. Paper bags can be made from either new fiber or recycled fiber. Using recycled fiber is better for the environment, but neither is best.
Less Litter
Plastic bags often end up as trash because people are careless and just throw them away, and also because they are so light that a gust of wind can pick them up from a trash can, recycling bin, or landfill and carry them away. Once the bags land in a tree or in the water, they pose a risk to animals that might get stuck in them or eat them by accident. Plastic bag trash has also caused flooding because it blocks drains that are important for water flow.
Stop Putting Out Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases can’t build up as much when people use reusable bags made from materials that grow back. When reusable bags are made from jute, cotton, or bamboo, they are better for the environment. These are materials that can be used over and over again. They grow quickly, so the plants can be picked and replaced quickly. Bamboo can be taken from the ground without killing the plant, and the plant can keep growing and turning greenhouse gases into oxygen without stopping.
Recyclable And Reusable Grocery Bags Help Cut Down On Waste
When a reusable bag wears out, it can be recycled if it is made from a material that can be recycled, like RPET, which is made from recycled plastic bottles, or cotton. When things are recycled, they are broken down and turned back into something useful. More importantly, they are kept out of landfills, which are already full.
Have You Gone Reusable Yet?
If you bring your groceries home in reusable bags, it can start a chain reaction that helps the planet in many ways. Single-use plastic bags are bad news all the way from the materials and steps used to make them to how they are thrown away and how likely they are to become trash. Buy now reusable grocery bags to help the environment and reduce the environmental damage caused by plastic bags.