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They're lightweight, convenient, water-resistant, and freely given with every purchase. The down-side is that they can be seen littering the streets, fluttering from trees and fence posts, and floating on the ocean—not to mention cramming your trashcan or recycling bin.

Today, thirty years after their introduction, plastic bags have become a major environmental concern, mostly due to the staggering numbers used worldwide.

According to Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization that works to build a sustainable society, factories worldwide produced 4–5 trillion plastic bags in 2002. This figure includes large trash bags, thick shopping totes, and grocery bags.

So when the environmentally conscious among us talk about "reduce, reuse, and recycle," the emphasis needs to be on "reduce" when it comes to plastic bags, says the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO).

"We're recommending that you don't even actually have a plastic bag, that you find ways to avoid it," says Joanne St. Godard, RCO's Executive Director.

RCO coordinates the annual Waste Reduction Week (WRW) in Canada, held October 15–21 this year. Educational events across the country kept the staff at RCO and partner organizations busy raising awareness and assisting schools, businesses, and communities.

Federal Environment Minister John Baird marked the launch of WRW by giving out reusable bags at stores to shoppers out buying their weekend groceries.

Shopping bags are part of the bigger picture of reducing waste generally, the minister says. For example, Baird drinks tap water rather than bottled—another way to reduce plastic and be environmentally responsible.

 

Waste Reduction Target Reduces Environmental Impact

The ubiquitous plastic bag is guilty of a multitude of sins.

When they end up as garbage, plastic bags take upwards of 1,000 years to disintegrate, decomposing into toxic particles that contaminate the water and soil.

When washed into the sea, whales and other marine life that mistake them for food slowly starve to death as the bags fill their stomach, giving a false sense of fullness.

Made from petroleum, the worldwide manufacture of plastic bags consumes an enormous amount of this non-renewable resource, emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide in the process.

But reducing waste is the benefit cited by St. Godard when asked about the recent Ontario initiative to dramatically cut plastic bag use in the province. Announced in May, an agreement was signed between RCO and industry groups, retailers, and grocers that have committed to a 50 percent reduction by 2012.

Retailers and grocers are implementing different ways to achieve this goal, said St. Godard. More and more are offering reusable bags or bins for sale, to replace single-use plastic bags. "That's sort of the first step."

Additionally, many businesses are introducing incentives such as purchase discounts, rebates, air miles, store points, or charging for a plastic bag as a disincentive. IKEA stores across Canada, for example, began charging 5 cents per plastic bag on Monday. However, the money goes to a good cause. All proceeds will be donated to Tree Canada, a charitable organization that will use the funds to plant trees. Stores are also offering financial incentives to remind customers to reuse their bags repeatedly, and many stores now accept plastic bags back for recycling.

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association operates a website that maintains a database of Canadian municipalities where plastic bag recycling is offered. It also maintains a list of stores across Canada that will take back their own bags to recycle through their own recycling program.

 

Remember Your Bags

St. Godard advises consumers not to take plastic bags at a store. Instead, shoppers should bring reusable bags, have large items stickered rather than bagged, and carry out purchases without a bag when buying only a few items. As far as what consumers can do, "that's really the first step to solving the problem."

Good reusable bag options include cloth bags made from hemp, canvas, or cotton, and bags made from recycled plastic bottles.

Baird says these are all good ideas, and individuals can make a difference in protecting and improving the environment. "We just need more people to follow these ideas."

Does he have any tips for overcoming barriers to using reusable shopping bags? "Just remember to bring them!" he said.