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ECOSPECTIVE: Say 'no' to killer plastic shopping bags
Unfortunately, while the real leaves will rot and fertilize the soil for spring, the plastic bags will simply reemerge to become litter again, year after year. How much of an effect do they really have? They're so convenient, but should you be concerned? Maryanne MacDonald and Anne Marie Bosco think you should. Two women from opposite sides of the world with the same idea. Bosco came to London from Australia and was almost immediately appalled at the litter in our city. MacDonald had come to the same conclusion about the litter in our streets, and had recently introduced a reduce plastic bag consumption campaign as a church fund raising drive at Hyde Park United Church. Both women ended up attending the June meeting of Green Drinks, and decided to work together on creating awareness of the issue of disposable plastic shopping bags. Most people are not aware of the hidden cost involved in plastic bags, from municipal cleanup – they are constantly blowing around, catching in trees, and blocking sewer grates – to the animals that mistake the colourful bags as food, bringing fragments home to feed their young, who, unable to digest plastic, quickly die. The largest group of animals affected by this is marine life. Fish, seabirds and aquatic mammals, are constantly exposed to shredded fragments of these bags that blow offshore, and bob like insects on the surface. Many seabirds have died from attempted consumption of this product that doesn't digest. To get an idea of how large a problem this can be, beached whales have been found to have over seven pounds of plastic bag fragments in their stomachs. This does not even take into account the effect of toxins leached into our waterways from the bags. In 2005, Britain held a cleanup event called Beach Watch which saw 3,891 volunteers surveyed 332 beaches. On average, 1,981 items of litter were found per kilometer, and plastic items made up 59 per cent of the recorded litter that year. The coastal city of San Francisco has seen such an issue with plastic bags that they have outright banned them. The switch was scheduled to take effect this past September for grocery stores and next March for pharmacies. MacDonald saw this as an opportunity to go from being personally environmentally responsible, to activist. She grew up watching her father care for the family woodlot, carefully choosing trees to use as fuel without damaging the productivity of the trees, her first understanding of sustainability. In 1969 she was introduced to environmental concerns by her husband and in the 70's got involved in the Pollution Probe Marathon to raise awareness across North America of the rising pollution problem. But it wasn't until this year that she took on this plastic bag issue. She introduced the idea – produce and sell environmentally friendly bags, and challenge other churches to do the same – to her church outreach committee as a fundraising. This idea has grown to the point that it is supported by the Hyde Park Business Association, who provide alternatives to plastic bags, and display signs at the counter that say "Thank you for saying no to plastic bags." "Retailers," MacDonald tells me, "are the key to building awareness," and she's completely correct. The number of times I have to tell a store clerk, 'No I don't need a bag,' is almost equal to the number of purchases I make. Items small enough to fit in my pocket are automatically bagged out of habit by the clerks, because they have taught themselves to follow this without thought. Here's a challenge to every reader who owns or works at a retail location: Ask every person who makes a purchase if they want a bag. You may be surprised at the number of people who will say no when given the choice, and on top of protecting the environment and reducing litter in our streets, you will actually be saving your company money. To contact MacDonald visit Wastefreeworld.org (see link). -- -- -- -- Daniel O'Neail is a London political figure, environmentalist, and public speaker. Opinions are those of the author. Contact Daniel by e-mail (see link). WEB: Wastefreeworld.org E-MAIL: Daniel O'Neail |
| Yes. Now eco-friendly shopping bags are popular and encouraged to use, since the malls don't supply free plastic shopping bags any more. |
| By: LoveGreenBags on 12/22/2008 |
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