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We’re all guilty of it – jumping into the car to go shopping and leaving the reusable bags sitting, waiting patiently, at home.
To combat this problem it helps to keep a few spares handy, a couple in the boot or some nifty reusable bags that fold away to tiny packages that can tuck into your bag.
It just takes a little pre-planning so you don’t get caught short, and it really is a case of every little bit counts.
The Plastic Bag Report from 2015 estimated the world consumes 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags every year.
“It is impossible to quantify length of use, but it has been suggested that the average plastic bag is used for as little as 12 minutes,” the report from Clean Up Australia said.
“While the plastic bag has a short useful life, it has a substantial environmental impact. Production is energy intensive with 0.48 MJ of energy required to make one HDPE plastic bag.
“The plastic bag persists in the environment for up to 1000 years, representing a significant waste impact.”
Clean Up Australia recommends a number of ways to avoid using plastic bags.
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In addition to saying ‘no’ to plastic bags at supermarkets, make sure you have reusable bags to use at convenience stores and take away food shops.
Where possible ask for goods to be packed in cardboard boxes that can later be recycled.
And, if you need to use a plastic bag, dispose of it responsibly – they can be returned to your supermarket for recycling.
Recycled plastic bags are used in a mixed plastics process to make garden stakes, garden furniture, garden sleepers, flower pots and new plastic bags.
There are some so-called ‘greener’ options, but they still pose problems and need to be dealt with responsibly. Biodegradable plastic bags are often made from farmed products like cornstarch, which, in the right conditions, will break down into elements like carbon dioxide, water and methane.
Biodegradable bags are best suited to composting not landfill. To meet international standards, bags need to compost within 12 weeks and fully biodegrade within six months.
Other degradable plastic bags break down in reaction to oxygen, light or heat. Best suited to landfill disposal, they are also likely to survive long enough to present a threat to animals if littered.