Drop the Plastic Bags!

Steven Windley M.D.

I have always had a strong draw to nature. I love spending time at the ocean as well as in the forest. I try to pay attention to topics that try to limit toxins in the environment or to tips that teach how to be more environmentally friendly. Our world unfortunately has become so toxic that being good for the environment and to our body are now mutually important and intertwined. In order to protect ourselves and our children, we will have to work toward a cleaner environment.

Plastics are a huge and growing problem. Scientists estimate 171 trillion plastic pieces are now part of the ocean! Is that even possible? Yes, the article used the trillion number. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down and are very toxic to the environment. In turn they are very toxic to us. Plastic grocery bags in particular are a big frustration to me because they are littered everywhere – EVERYWHERE! These bags litter the streets and countrysides, but have also made their way to the tops of mountains and the depths of the ocean. I have followed some statistics on plastic grocery bags for a few years now and some of the statistics are just hard to believe:

These are just a few numbers from biologicaldiversity.com – Americans use 100 billion bags a year – this uses 12 million barrels of oil to make – In 2015, 730,000 tons of bags, sacks and wraps were generated in the United States – Americans use 365 bags per person per year. Denmark uses an average of 4 plastic bags per person per year.

The numbers associated with plastic bag usage is astounding – almost too hard to believe. Whatever the exact numbers are, they are terrible. Plastics disrupt natural hormone function, which can affect fertility, energy, menstrual cycles, and so much more. Plastics have become so prevalent in the environment that they are becoming prevalent in our bodies.

We have to do better. Please do what you can to limit plastics especially plastic bags. 1.Use something other than plastic grocery bags at the store. Take a canvas bag(s) with you so you use as few of the plastic grocery bags as possible. Other people can catch on as they see use do this. This may even benefit price tags positively if grocery stores are not having to pay for all those plastic bags. 2.Recycle the plastic bags you have where ever they offer recycling of these bags – often times at the grocery store 3.Reuse the bags for trash or other purposes, but please know that ultimately we truly have to use less and produce less plastic bags. Rannard, Georgina March 8: BBC.com. Oceans Littered with 171 Trillion Plastic Pieces. 10 Facts about Single Use Plastic Bags. Biologicaldiversity.com: