Yes, every litter bit matters. The other day I noticed a visual shift in the seascape — hundreds (probably thousands up and down the beach) of small, empty, clear, rectangular plastic bags. What were they doing there? Was there a dumping offshore? What might have been in them. Usually the people that pass by in the morning don’t engage in conversation with others. However, this particular morning, it seemed we were all talking to each other. Asking, commenting on the unusual shift in the landscape. One gentleman conjectured the bags may have been filled with ice for cooling.
This morning “walk” seemed to have taken twice the time and I filled up an additional bag. Still there was more to pick up and I was out of “time”.
According to coastalcare.org, they state,
“1 second / 20 minutes / 400 years:
“These are the 3 key figures in a single use plastic bag’s life.
It takes only 1 second to produce a single use plastic bag. Its use last about 20 minutes, from the moment it is handed out at the market to the consumer’s home. Then, the single use plastic bag is generally discarded right away. However, this does not mark the end of its life… a very long life, that can last up to 400 years before degradation.”
If I do end up taking a plastic bag, I reuse it as many times as I can before disposing of it. I have cloth bags in my car for any items I may purchase, not just for the grocery store, but other establishments as well.
Contemplate the idea of one-use plastic bags not being created in the first place. How would that change our lives, and the lives of other animals.
