Why should we conserve plastic bags?

Question

What are some reasons why we need to conserve plastic bags?

Answer 1

Not many people that petroleum is used in the making of plastic bags. Use fewer plastic bags to consume less fossil fuel.  

Answer 2

well actually we shouldnt use them at all.

they are very wasteful on the enviroment and almost always end up in a landfill or in the ocean( which people are now using as another type of trash dump) unless people decide to recycle them which that process also has trash.

The green bags that you see at stores such as wal mart and target are great and we use tham all the time.

they hold more and it helps the enviroment.

Answer 3

that's why I don't use plastic bags anymore. I use the organic ones nowadays.

Answer 4

biodegradability.  

Answer 5

A better question is why should we use 100's of something a year that's disposable and that is weaker and inferior to its re-usable counterpart?

Plastic bags take up a lot of resources to manufacture, ship, and dispose of/recycle and account for a huge amount of our landfill trash. That's when they don't "float away" and get mixed into a natural or urban environment. In the natural environment they harm animals.

So what are the drawbacks to NOT using them?...

anyone else hear crickets?

Answer 6

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thats why

Answer 7

Just like anything made out of plastic, grocery bags contain nasty chemicals that are not only bad for you, but bad for the world.

The environmental aspect of it is that plastic bags get thrown just about everywhere and cause adverse effects to wildlife. Also, even when disposed of properly they can cause harm. Most plastic bags cannot be recycled and therefore end up in a landfill. Liquids from decomposing trash and from rain can leech into the landfill, and if the landfill should leak (it happens) guess who's water is now full of toxic chemicals?

The political aspect is that plastic is made from oil. One could go on and on and on about how oil consumption in America is destroying the world as we know it, but I wont. Instead, I suggest you watch the documentary "A Crude Awakening." For you hippie-haters, it says nothing about the environment but instead focuses on the political aspects of oil consumption. It's interesting, motivating, and something we all need to think about.

Answer 8

Plastic bags are made from petroleum, they litter the countryside (and the oceanside and the cityscape...), they maim and kill wildlife, even when recycled cost more resources, and they photo-degrade (they are *not* biodegradable) into toxic chemicals. Using plastic bags fosters the entitlement attitude ("i want my free bag for shopping!") and wasteful attitude (they're only less than a cent a piece!") which compounds our overall throwaway mentality.

This video says it all to me:

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl...

The other posters are right: we no longer need to use them at all. I hope we all switch to using at least paper if not cloth bags. It's been really easy where I live. You buy a bag for $1; the big chains refund you 5 cents for every reuse. Voila! Paid for in 20 visits.

Answer 9

We shouldn't use them at all.  We have some great other choices.  We can use hemp bags, organic cotton, or even paper (I know trees have to make these but we can plant a tree, it is better than plastic)  You can save some of the ones you have and use them as doggie poo bags, that is what I do, at least the bag has been used twice and I don't need to buy more plastic bags for the doggie.  

I can only figure that making the plastic bag is toxic and so if we reduce the number we use not as many bags will be made and that will reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in the air.  

Answer 10

Plastic bags and in fact most types of plastic packaging are really bad for the environment. There are numerous reasons why they are bad for wildlife and our ecosystems. Check out this article about the dangers of plastic bags. http://blog.greenfinder.co.uk/?p=47

Answer 11

Because they take thousands of years to break down.