How China Saves 37 Million Barrels Of Oil/Year (And We Can Do It Too)
How does China save 37 million barrels of oil per year . . . . simple . . . . they banned FREE plastic bags. That’s it.
In 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated that throughout the world, between 500 billion and a trillion bags are consumed each year. Less than 1% of these are recycled because it is cheaper to make a new one than recycle the old ones. The average person will consume over 22,000 plastic bags in a lifetime. If you are not concerned about the damage that this does to our environment and to animals then consider this; as the plastic breaks down it finds its way into our soil and waterways, then into OUR FOOD-CHAIN. We eat them.
A number of countries and the American city of San Fransisco have followed China’s lead and are banning plastic bag outright.
I have seen a number of people carrying cloth bags, announcing that it is not plastic and my local supermarket offers discounts for people who bring their own bags or re-use plastic bags. I will confess that I never really took it all that seriously before, but having found a very informative presentation about it, I’m sold on the idea. No more plastic bags for me.
CLICK HERE to see the whole presentation.
Hi Charlie,
Modbury, in the south of England, went plasic-bag-free a while ago. You can read their story at http://plasticbagfree.com/. It’s particularly harrowing to read the story about what prompted that action. Plastic bags kill animals at all levels of the ecosystem, not just in our own back yards, so it’s good to see some pressure to reduce their use. Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Tony.
Thanks Tony. I was not aware that any place in England had gone plastic bag free. Good to see there is some more positive action here in the UK.