Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

Did you BYOB the last time you went shopping?This is a question every person ought to ask themselves.  We are midway through 2010 and there has in no way been a more crucial time to bring your own reusable green bags. When you BYOB, rather than using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you instantly become a part of the answer to the enormous urban waste quandary associated with disposable shopping bag waste.  As of July 1, 2010, it is estimated that greater than 240 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone.  What ís even more alarming is the impact that plastic and paper single-use bags are continuing to have on the ecosystem.   The intent of this article is to look at the most recent information regarding large-scale efforts to reduce the use of plastic and paper throw-away bags along with the related litter, and discuss what alternatives are available to all of us individual consumers in order to make certain we are a part of the answer to this dilemma.  

The excellent news is that BYOB momentum is increasing quickly in this year.  If you havenít heard the news yet, the California legislature has written a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), which would prohibit single-use bags sold in supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take full effect around 2013.  Even ìThe Governatorî, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.   This would be a huge win for all friends of the environment to have the biggest state, in the third largest country on the planet, to place a prohibition on throw-away plastic bags. Considering that China initially cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland legislative efforts to reduce plastic bag consumption all started in 2002, it is so wonderful to be informed that California legislators have introduced this bill to the table.  

In the USA, metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have voted for or enacted laws and regulations that either tax customers for the utilization of plastic bags or outlaw them altogether, but California would be the first US state to take action if this possible law were to get through the senate.  More exciting news, even legislators from the state of Texas have written legislation that would insert a seven-cent tax per single-use bag used.   It is so amazing that there is a prospect that both Texas and/or California could soon have laws and regulations in place to battle the plastic bag craze.  Hard work by individuals and governments to decrease large-scale use of throw-away grocery bags is a wonderful method to motivate people and spread the word concerning the extremely positive benefits of ecologically friendly reusable shopping bags.

Plastic bags can take up to one thousand years to biodegrade completely, and prior to that it just breaks down in to smaller and smaller poisonous pieces that end up in our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable bags, are a wonderful alternative, once disposed in landfill sites, the exposure to daylight, oxygen, and warmth will convert these bags into liquid, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass.  Similar to a fallen leaf, it will vanish in time as well as leave NO Dangerous Residue in the soil.  Single-use plastic bags finish up inside our landfills moreover regularly get tangled and bring about permanent harm in waste management equipment.   Millions if not billions of other bags end up as urban litter and commonly find their way in to creeks, resevoirs, streams, as well as the sea.  Creatures, especially nautical animals, get intertwined in plastic grocery bags, and/or consume them and regularly suffocate or starve to death.  

So the remedy leads us back to BYOB, which is incredibly easy.  Just remember to utilize eco friendly reusable shopping bags or recycled bags, or reuse an old bag, period.  Be sure to keep spare reusable bags in your automobile and/or within your knapsack, because you will want to ensure they are nearby when you need them.  Also remember to wash your bags following use, particularly after transporting uncooked foods or cleaning supplies.  You may also present them to your friends as a reminder to BYOB.  Of course, always remember to recycle whenever the occasion presents itself, recycling is always a victory for the natural world.  Instituting a BYOB habit in our personal lifestyles and businesses is certainly the finest way to make sure we are truly part of the resolution rather than the problem.  Now is the time to go out and lead by example.