subject: Reusable Handbags For Ecological Existence [print this page] Since being developed in 1977, the disposable handbag has swapped brown paper shopping bags as the favorite method for carrying bought objects from shop to home. Fitting and more inexpensive to produce, the plastic shopping bag seemed to be an impressive and less expensive selection over the brown paper tote for both outlets and consumers alike. Regrettably, expendable plastic tote usage has serious impact on the atmosphere that if left unchecked may have long lasting future repercussions.
Although cheaper as well as easier to produce as compared to the paper bag, the production of plastic bags for buying remains a large cost for both the ecosystem as well as natural resources. In a 2004 study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a vehicle driving one kilometer (0. 62 miles) would be the equivalent of developing 8. 7 throw away ones. To further illustrate the utility cost; annually the United States uses around 1 billion bags at an expense of twelve million barrels of oil.
The regular American family stores approximately 50 bags monthly, or at least six hundred such annually. If each individual in New York City were to utilize one less shopping bag each year, over five million pounds of trash will be avoided; preserving the New York City $250, 000 in removal expenses.
Under appropriate circumstance, a single plastic handbag would fully decompose in twenty years. In less than ideal condition, such as in a land fill, the decomposition process is estimated to require a thousand years. In 2008, the Ecological Protection Agency predicted 3, 960, 000 tons of rubberized ones, sacks and wraps were made with ninety percent of that amount, 3, 570, 000 tons, just discarded as garbage. Nearly ten percent of that waste materials ends up in our waterways as well as oceans where birds and sea life could in fact be tangled up in it or die from mistaking the plastic handbag as a meal source. Additionally, expanding the chance of severe consequences, most expendable ones are manufactured in countries with few environmental regulations, for example China, ultimately resulting in higher levels of contamination as well as risk to our health.
By making use of just one reusable shopping bag, the demand for at least seven hundred disposable handbags is eliminated or reduced. Over a lifetime, that can add up to over 20, 000 replaceable handbags; a huge savings in strength, raw materials and impact on the earth. Reusable shopping bags are an excellent as well as effective choice for supporting the ecosystem.
