Bag It

Seven Things I Learned from Bag It:

1.     Even though we think that we are recycling, sometimes that just isn’t completely the truth. It goes away, but there is no away. We need to remember the trash gyres out in the ocean that increase after we feel we have ‘done our part’.

2.     In the United States, we use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which is 12 million barrels of oil. To create one water bottle it takes the amount of a quarter of that bottle, filled with oil, to produce it. That doesn’t count the cost of transporting the bottled water, either. Sixty thousand plastic bags are consumed in the United States every five seconds. Two million plastic water bottles in the United States are consumed every five seconds.

3.     The American Chemistry Council has been spending millions of dollars to prevent cities from banning ultrathin single use plastic in multiple cities around the United States. In Seattle alone, they spent over a million dollars to campaign against the ban of plastic bags. Thirty rural communities in Alaska have banned them, but support on the mainland is still limited.

4.     When asked “Paper, or plastic” people say that choosing plastic is a friendlier choice, but it’s costing more than we realize. No new trees are being cut for paper bags, they are primarily made out of recycled paper. The American Chemistry Council keeps coming up with misleading campaigns like “Save the Plastic Bag” and other slogans to make plastic bag use seem less bad.

5.     For a few moments of use, most plastics you throw out will last forever. Straws, lids, forks, spoons, knives, bags, single use containers, bottles, cups, packaging. Even things like paper coffee cups and canned food cans have a plastic lining.

6.     BPA and phalates are endocrine interrupters that have proven to lead to gender neutrality, infertility, thyroid issues, insulan resistance, ADHD symptoms, lower sperm counts, even smaller penises. Fortunately, in 2009, the use of BPA was banned as were six phalates. Phalates show up in stuff that says “fragrance added”.

7.     There are six major garbage swirls in our oceans. The plastic acts like a sponge for chemicals, such as DDT, and is broken into bits and pieces that ocean animals and fish eat. For fish that consume other fish who consume plankton, that multiplies the amount of chemicals and plastic consumed and is passed on to us when we go to eat them. There isn’t any cleaning up these gyres, it would be like vacuuming the entire United States THREE TIMES OVER to try. The movie said that if people saw how much it was, they’d think twice about what they’re using.

As a way to consider changing our relationship with plastic in my house, I had my family watch the documentary with me. We have bought some re-usable bags, but I think it’s time to start dedicating more effort to making sure they come to the store with us. We do the majority of our shopping at Costco, who does NOT use plastic bags. Interestingly, I remember the hype over fragrance and using “toxic chemicals” to freshen up your household, but I thought it was more connected with the emergence of essential oils usage. Our household has been experimenting with making our own laundry soap, using wool dryer balls with essential oil, as well as making our own dishwasher soap. We do still use brick soap, as well. When we go on hikes or camping, our entire family of five has been equipped with Hydroflasks and we fill up a large plastic container for our drinking water. I think it also may be time to brush up on our recycling, as we may be a part of the crowd who doesn’t realize how much of our recycling isn’t recyclable.