It's very tempting to throw things away or even drop them in a recycling bin when we are done with them. Is there a better way?
Share your ideas for extending the “lives” of the items that we buy and use, and their packaging as well!
Reuse & Repurpose >
Reuse plastic bags Scotland
In Scotland a law was passed single so shops and supermarkets could give away single use plastic bags for free, there is a minimum charge of £0.05 for a bag
This has really encouraged people to reuse plastic shopping bags or take their own bags
I agree that charging for plastic bags in supermarkets is a good decision. They started charging for them in Croatia too, and after a while people realized how useful it is in reducing the use of plastic. I would like to point out something even more useful that each of us can do. We can reuse some old clothing material and sew a cloth bag that can also be used multiple times and is more environmentally friendly.
Laws made like Scotland's can help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that production of these plastic bags cause. Also these bags are not biodegradable and can last for years in landfills. Some plastic bags also end up in the ocean and animals have injuries or die from entanglement.
Supporting these statements on how the rise in plastic bags are reducing the overall carbon emissions is show in a study done by pubmedcentral.gov “the extensive usage of plastic bags has caused detrimental environmental damage, and an influx of research efforts have been undertaken to reduce people’s usage of plastic bags.” This proves the fact that plastic bags do harm the environment. Another study done by the same resource shows “Furthermore, when plastic carrier bags are priced at RMB 2.0, 81.2% of the surveyed consumers say they will stop buying them.” This shows that an increase in plastic bags will result in a reduced consumer base. Reducing the amount of people buying bags will ultimately result in less plastic bags released into the environment. This study proves the fact that a increase in plastic bag prices will result in less plastic bags in the environment which ultimately reduces the carbon emissions.
I really agree with this its a great way to stop plastic waste. This also makes plastic bags more valuable so now people don't have to just throw them anywhere.