(NOTE (added 1/3/13): I’ve been informed that not all the information presented in this graphic is factual. Please see my comment for details.)
We see them all the time, tumbling across the road, hanging in trees, wadded up in ditches. They’re plastic bags, and they’re everywhere.
I have to admit that I sometimes forget my reusable bags when I go to the store. I do recycle and reuse plastic bags for trashcan liners and picking up after the dogs, but I know that’s not enough. They should be banned. And the following infographic explains exactly why. When Kayla Evans at http://www.LearnStuff.com sent it to me, I knew I had to share it.
NOTE (added 1/3/13): I’ve been informed that not all the information presented in this graphic is factual. Please see my comment for details.
wow–I almost ALWAYS use my own bags but this is shocking!!
I once saw a seagull at the dump struggling to fly with a plastic bag tangled around its leg. Even worse, it was being chased by a Bald Eagle. I don’t know what the outcome of that chase was, as they flew out of sight, but I felt really bad for the gull.
I love this inforgraphic!some shocking facts!I have been trying to contact Kayla in response to an email she sent me about this infographic but my replies are being rejected. Do you have her current email address to forward our response to please? many thanks, Harry (Selamatkan Yaki conservation programme)
Hi all. Here’s an interesting update on this infographic and on plastic bags in general.
After I posted this, the press person for Hilex Poly, an American manufacturer of plastic bags made from recycled materials and operator of the world’s largest plastic bag recycling facility, contacted me. Apparently not all the facts in the infographic are correct. Here’s what she had to say:
“First, while it states that plastic bag manufacturing uses 37 billion barrels of oil, American-made plastic bags are made from natural gas and post-consumer content, not oil. This is significant because plastic bags do not impact the US demand for foreign oil.
“The infographic also says that “less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled each year.” That is not the case. According to the EPA, the recycling rate of polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps in 2010 was 14.7%, a 23.8% increase from the rate in 2009. Not only that, but recycling is becoming more common every year, with over 90 percent of the U.S. population having access to nearby plastic bag recycling, according to a recent report. The challenge is getting the word out to folks that their plastic grocery bags are recyclable – so thank you for doing that.”
I was thrilled that she, her name is Raquel Bubar, contacted me for a few reasons. First, because the journalism school graduate in me hates factual inaccuracies. When I first read her message I felt like a fool for not fact-checking the infographic before posting it. Then I realized that would have been way too time-consuming for me and I wouldn’t have bothered posting the infographic if I thought to fact-check it. AND then this conversation would have never taken place. Even if some of the information presented was not factual, I think the fact that I brought it up is more important because plastic bags are a serious danger to wildlife.
The second reason I was thrilled to hear from the Hilex Poly representative is that her, and their, point of view was one I hadn’t considered. I may truly be a fool for not having thought that there are people out there actively working against banning plastic bags. The people who make and recycle them obviously want plastic bags to be used by people like you and me. There’s even a movement called Bag the Ban against taxing and banning plastic bags–they have a Facebook Page with thousands of Likes. I had no idea. Once again, perhaps that journalist in me should be ashamed of herself. I’m not, for the record; but regardless, my worldview has been expanded.
The issue with plastic bags is more complicated than just getting the word out that all those bags floating around roadsides are harmful. There are corporations and lobbyists and special interests and people with a lot of money and power with stakes in this debate. And I am just one woman, apparently poorly informed, who loses sleep over the gigantic plastic blob of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean. I don’t know if plastic bags will ever be banned or taxed, and honestly I don’t know if that’s the best solution. And I have a feeling the outcome of that debate won’t be settled on whether or not a particular action in either direction is good for the wildlife.
Here’s what I do know: plastic bags are recyclable. They’re recyclable! The world’s largest plastic bag recycling facility exists in the United States! And I am going to make darn sure they get every possible shred of plastic that passes through my hands.